Simone Manuel is a work of art.
The Olympic gold medalist showed off a mural Ever Galvez painted of her in her hometown of Sugar Land, Texas. Manuel called it “truly heartwarming and SWEET!” in a post on Twitter.
The American swimmer also thanked Nike for commissioning the artwork.
“To continually have Nike’s support in my career is so special,” she wrote. “Beyond grateful for the support of Nike in and out of the pool.”
The two-time Olympian is coming off of a challenging year in the pool. After winning gold in the 100-meter freestyle at the Rio Olympics five years ago, Manuel failed to even qualify for the event in Tokyo. She later revealed that she has been suffering from overtraining syndrome.
Manuel made the Olympic team in the 50-meter freestyle but failed to win an individual medal. She was a major factor in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay in Tokyo, anchoring the U.S. to bronze as one of two swimmers on the relay team to swim under 53 seconds.
