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U.S. OLYMPIC SWIM TRIALS

June 25, 2016

Simone Manuel

Omaha, Nebraska

THE MODERATOR: Can you give us your thoughts on being here in Omaha and maybe give us your thoughts for the next few days and make your expectations for the next few days.

SIMONE MANUEL: I'm super excited to be here to race at Olympic Trials. This is my second one so hoping to have a little bit more experience than my first and just looking forward to making the Olympic team for USA.

Q. How is your approach this time around different from 2012 inside the pool and out?
SIMONE MANUEL: I think my approach is a lot different than 2012. I was 15 years old, so I was kinda nervous behind the blocks, looking up in the stands and getting scared so I think I've had a lot more experience with that just being on World Championship teams and just really staying calm and being confident in my training and in the process of getting here.

So I think confidence has a lot to do with it, and I just have a great group of people supporting me. I did in 2012 but I also have the same group plus a couple more. Just really trying to focus on having fun with the process and doing my best.

Q. So you didn't swim for Stanford this year, you took the redshirt year. How hard was that and watching NCAAs and seeing how close that meet was and what did it help with? What have been the major benefits of that decision?
SIMONE MANUEL: Redshirting was kind of hard for me. I was at all the dual meets that I could go to cheering on my teammates, and I definitely wanted to be out there with them, but they supported me as much as I've supported them so it kind of made the decision easier.

Also my coaches were very helpful in that situation but I think it just helped a lot with -- I've got to limit the amount of travel that I've done, I haven't had to go to the away dual meets or Pac-12s or NCAAs, so I was able to have a little bit more focus on my training regimen. So I think that's probably helped a lot and, you know, just going to the Pro Series meet helped a lot.

Q. Simone, how hard is it to focus on the process when this is completely results oriented, and was it easier or harder when you were a few months out and redshirting and not participating with your college team, or is it harder right now?
SIMONE MANUEL: Um, I think in all, focusing on the process is very hard. Like you said, sometimes you do get wrapped up in the results and how you're doing at the time, but sometimes the results aren't completely indicative of how you've been training or, you know, some of the situations that you've been through.

So just kinda taking a step back and looking at how have I been training, how much have I improved in dry lands or in my stroke technique or just in my endurance.

I think it's hard in general whether you have bad results or good results, to just really remain in the moment and focus on how did I get there. So, yeah, I just think I've just been trying to focus on, you know, how much have I improved and how much have I tried to get better.

Q. Did you use the redshirt year to do more long course training than you would have if you were swimming college?
SIMONE MANUEL: Yeah, I think I had two extra long course practices so that helped a lot and like I said, also going to Pro Series I was able to participate in more long course meets and long course training, which is very important in an Olympic Year, so that allowed me to have a little bit more focus in long course.

Q. Simone, when you come into a meet like this and it's unfamiliar surroundings and you've got this big cavernous arena out there and different blocks, crowded warm-up pool, what do you do to kind of get yourself ready to swim?
SIMONE MANUEL: Yeah, it's not too unfamiliar since I was here four years ago. I don't quite remember everything, but, like I said, it's kind of -- I've had more experience so it's similar to a World Championships, you do have crowded warm-ups, you do have people doing totally different things in a lane and you have to be able to work around that situation.

The blocks are the same you still have wedge blocks, the crowd is still just as big and the excitement is just as real. I think it's just more of handling your emotions. It's a big meet and it's important. I'm just trying to focus on doing that, nothing is too different.

Q. NCAAs last year, obviously some crazy times, really dominant, go to long course, doesn't quite carry over as well. What have you guys done in training with Greg to make long course a little smoother this year?
SIMONE MANUEL: Yeah, I think it was just Greg and I adapting to each other and how I train and how I rested. Over short course, I think I got a little bit bigger, so it didn't really transfer over to long course, and my endurance wasn't as great, so after World Championships, we met with each other, we talked everything out, what worked for me, what didn't, and I think that kinda carried over this year and hopefully my results will show this weekend -- this week.

Q. Obviously the US sprinters, it's been a bit of a struggle this year, three women in Australia under 53 seconds this year, how much has that sort of motivated you guys to try and make a statement here, especially you since you've been one of the top 100 Freestylers in the country the past few years?
SIMONE MANUEL: Yeah, definitely watching international swimmers go under 53 is -- you know, it drives you to want to go that fast, but I haven't completely focused on it because I think the only thing I can control is how I'm doing. Just what's kind of kept me in the sport and kept me motivated is doing my best, because if I'm improving that's all I can be happy with.

I definitely have been looking to their results as motivation, but at the same time I'm really just trying to work day in and day out to get better, to improve myself.

Q. As a sprinter how do you view the 200?
SIMONE MANUEL: Yeah, so the 200 has definitely been something that I really have been working on the past couple of years, especially being in college. Greg and Tracy have never let me try to veer away from it. I just kinda look at the 200 as if I'm able to do a 200 well, then I can finish my 100 strong, and if I do a 100 strong, then hopefully I can pull out a 50, so the 200 has just definitely helped with my confidence in the 100, and I want to be good at the 200, so it's definitely something I've been striving to get better at. Hopefully it helps the rest of my events as I move down.

Q. So with the mentality of focusing on the process and doing your best, since last Trials, in this quad, how have you noticed being at Stanford with that group of athletes and with Greg and Tracy have helped that mentality?
SIMONE MANUEL: Yeah, most definitely. Yeah, just focusing on the process has definitely been harder for me this year. I kinda had a lot of set-backs and illnesses and injuries, so just being with teammates like Maya DiRado and Leah and Ella Eastin and Felicia Lee and the rest of the Stanford team, along and my coaches, they have instilled in me just whenever you come to practice just work as hard as you can despite some of the issues that I was going through at the time.

So I really have just been enjoying going to practice and having fun and laughing with my teammates and working hard and hoping that the results will pay off in the end.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Simone. Appreciate your time.

SIMONE MANUEL: Thank you.

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