On View
Sports Gallery
Exhibition
Sports: Leveling the Playing Field
Created by
Speedo International Ltd., Australian, founded 1914
Worn by
Manuel, Simone, American, born 1996
Date
2016
Medium
2a: nylon and spandex;
2b: plastic with ink
Dimensions
H x W (.2a Swim suit): 29 1/2 × 14 1/4 in. (74.9 × 36.2 cm)
H x W (.2b Speedo bag): 11 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (29.2 × 19.1 cm)
Caption
Simone Manuel wore this suit at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she won two gold and two silver medals. Manuel became the first African American woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in swimming when she tied for gold with Canadian Penny Oleksiak in the 100-meter freestyle. Her win set an Olympic record and an American record. She also won gold in the 4x100-meter medley, and silver in the 50-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
Description
Speedo swimsuit worn by Simone Manuel with plastic bag.
.2a The one-piece bodysuit is knee-length, has a scoop neckline, and is navy with blue, red, white, and gold. The top half of the swimsuit has blue, red, and white areas that blend together. There are five (5) small white stars on each side. There is a white Speedo logo at the top on the proper right side. On the proper left side there is a white “USA” with a red outline. There are gold lines on either side of the swimsuit, starting at the armpit and going down the leg. The design moves in towards the ribs and flares back out again to the hips in an hourglass shape. There is a white Speedo logo at the bottom on the proper left leg. The straps are navy and textured and feature a chevron pattern.
The gold lines are also on the back of the swimsuit and cross into an “X” shape in the center. The swimsuit has a racerback. There is a white label with black text and a QR code on the left and a red, white, and blue American flag logo on the right.
The interior of the legs have red bands around the bottom. In the interior of the swimsuit there are several black bands with red text which reads [LAND OF THE FREE HOME OF THE BRAVE] with a Speedo logo.
There is a white manufacturer’s label with black text inside the swimsuit. There is a Speedo logo along with information about materials, sizing, and trademark and copyright.
.2b The clear plastic bag has black text on the front which reads [speedo {logo} / Fastskin / Developed by aqualab / {logo}]. There is upside down black handwriting which reads [Semi -> 100 free / Finals -> 100 free / Semi -> 50 free]. There is a white sticker with black text in the proper top left corner. It reads [LZR X CLOSED BACK KN / 7708801 / 410 / SIZE: 26] with a barcode. There is an opening at the bottom with two white snap buttons. There is a warning label on the back. It is a black rectangular outline with black text inside. The text reads [WARNING: / ONLY TO BE USED / BY WORLD CLASS / ATHLETES!]. There is another warning along the side in small black text. There is a black Fastskin tag inside the bag. The tag features the Speedo website, and trademark information.
Place used
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Latin America, South America
Place depicted
United States, North and Central America
Collection title
Simone Manuel Collection
Classification
Clothing-Historical
Type
bathing suits
bags (containers)
tags
Topic
Athletes
Clothing and dress
Olympics
Sports
U.S. History, 2001-
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Simone Ashley Manuel
Object number
2018.99.2ab
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5c8418fce-f149-4c36-93a5-328012c677cf

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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