Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Manuel Takes The Plunge – Says ‘I Do’ To Denzel Franklin

The 27-year-old Olympic swimmer and Denzel Franklin got engaged in July 2022.

Twenty-seven-year-old Simone Manuel, the first African American woman to win a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle swimming event at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, said “I do” to Denzel Franklin.

The swimmer announced the celebratory event in a press brief by SwimSwam on YouTube, and talked about her life out of the pool.

She said in the video, “I got married, so that’s been awesome.”

She also talked about how her mom planned the event.

“I didn’t have to do so much planning for the wedding because my mom did all of it, but it came out perfectly, and it was really nice to have that experience with my family and friends,” she shared.

The couple hasn’t gone on a honeymoon yet. “I wanted to not have a honeymoon that kind of centered in a way around swimming, like taking a week off. I would be thinking about swimming or thinking about what I’m missing out on,” Manuel said in the interview, Essence reported. The swimmer, who also won gold in the 4×100-meter relay in 2016, said, “So, you know, whatever happens next year, I wanted swimming to, like, not be a part of it and for us to enjoy our time together. But he’s amazing; I know he sacrificed so much for us, so I’m grateful to him.”

Manuel posted a picture on Instagram holding a cardboard sign that read “Eloping is Underrated” on Oct. 31, 2023. The caption next to the image said, “Stressedbridewithsign [sic] getting ready for a wedding in 4 days.” The next post showed the Olympic gold medalist holding a bridal bag from Vivienne Atelier on Nov. 3. Finally, on Nov. 12, the swimmer and bride appeared in a photo with a white bridal dress and sneakers next to her groom, who also wore sneakers.

The couple got engaged in July 2022, Essence reported.