RIO DE JANEIRO -- For 16 years, through Olympics in Sydney, Athens, Beijing, London and Rio, African-Americans swam under a microscope for their country.Questions about oddity and identity weighed them down as they tried to outrace history and the competition. Finally, on Thursday night, Simone Manuels gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle turned a liberating page for black swimmers.Trailing by an ominous half-second at the turn, Manuel used a furious closing charge to finish tied with Penny Oleksiak of Canada in an Olympic and American record of 52.70. Manuel is the first African-American woman to win an individual swimming medal at any Olympic Games.After shedding tears on the medal stand while the national anthem played, Manuel thanked black predecessors like Cullen Jones and Maritza Correia in acknowledging the historic nature of her victory.The gold medal wasnt just for me, it was for people who came before me and inspired me to stay in the sport, said the 20-year-old Stanford University student from the Houston suburb of Sugar Land, Texas. And for people who believe that they cant do it. I hope that Im an inspiration to others to get out there and try swimming.Decades after the end of Jim Crow laws that kept blacks out of white pools, African-Americans still have a complicated relationship with swimming.If a parent cant swim, theres only a 13 percent chance their child will learn, according to a 2010 report commissioned by USA Swimming. The report found that 69 percent of black children and 58 percent of Latino children cannot swim, compared with 42 percent of white children. Black children drown at a rate almost three times higher than white children.Rio is the first Olympics where the U.S. swim team has two black women -- Manuel and her close friend Lia Neal, who won a silver medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay. Manuel and Neal fielded so many black swimmer questions leading up to their races, it threatened to slow them down in the pool.Thats something I definitely struggled with a lot, Manuel said. Just coming into this race tonight, I kind of tried to take the weight of the black community off my shoulders, which is something I carry with me.Im super glad with the fact I can be an inspiration to others and hopefully diversify the sport. But at the same time, I would like there to be a day where there are more of us, and its not Simone the black swimmer. The title black swimmer makes it seem like Im not supposed to be able to win a gold medal, or Im not supposed to be able to break records. And thats not true.Manuels father, Mark Manuel, played basketball at the historically black Xavier University in New Orleans, and works in information technology. Her mother, Sharron, is a pharmacist. Simone started swimming at age 4 because her parents wanted her to be safe in the water. She almost chose to pursue ballet before choosing swimming.In Rio, coiled in her stance to begin the final, Manuel seemed to flinch just before the gun and did not get a great start. At the turn, she trailed by .47 of a second -- the basketball equivalent of a 15-point halftime deficit. But Manuel started to close over the last 25 meters, and with 15 to go, she put her head down and gutted out gold.After the race she immediately hugged Neal, who also attends Stanford. They appear often together on Manuels Instagram feed -- in the weight room, poolside in sunglasses, flaunting bikinis and ripped abs, and in a series of Fleek Films videos featuring two lit gurls on the road to Rio.Lia and I have this very special relationship, Manuel said. I wouldnt be where I am right now without her.Neal, 21, whose father is black and mother is Chinese-American, was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and speaks Mandarin. She said the constant questions about being a black swimmer can be difficult, but I think thats just what comes with the territory of making history. Youre going to be faced with the question a lot, because its so new, she said before Manuels gold-medal race.Even though I get the question a lot and Im getting tired of it, other people who havent gotten the chance to speak to Simone or me, theyre all the more excited, so its fine.Tallying up the previous black U.S. Olympic swimmers is interesting.The lineage begins in 2000, with Anthony Ervin, whose father is black and Native American and mother is Jewish. Ervin won silver in the 4x100 freestyle relay in 2000 and tied for gold in the 50 freestyle. After a long hiatus, Ervin returned to the 2012 Olympics in London and is now in Rio at age 35.Ervin is fair-skinned with straight hair. In 2000, he was barraged with questions about being the first black Olympic swimmer, but I didnt know a thing about what it was like to be part of the black experience, Ervin told Rolling Stone in 2012. But now I do. Its like winning gold and having a bunch of old, white people ask you what its like to be black. That is my black experience.In 2004, Correia, also known by her married surname of McClendon, became the first woman of African descent to swim for the U.S. Olympic team. She was born in Puerto Rico to parents who emigrated from Guyana.In 2008, Jones won gold in the 4x100 freestyle relay, setting a world record of 3:08.24 on a team that included Michael Phelps. In 2012, Jones won silver in the 50 freestyle, silver in the 4x100 freestyle relay and gold in the 4x100 medley relay.Neal picked up the baton in 2012, when she made the Olympic team at age 17 and won bronze in the 4x100 freestyle relay. She finished fourth at this years U.S. trials to qualify for the relay team in Rio.Neal swam her Rio relay leg in 53.63, just .10 of a second faster than her time in the 2012 Olympics and significantly slower than she had been swimming this year. She did not participate in the final as the 4x100 team won silver, and that was devastating, she said.I was really upset after my race, just with myself. I was just like, why? I put so much more into these Games than I did in 2012. Why didnt it show? Neal said.She was in a funk until two days later, when the swimmers in the preliminary round received their medals during an impromptu ceremony with the womens team.Just seeing it in my hand, I think thats when all my negative thoughts and emotions just kind of went away, she said. My time may not have shown it, but I put in all the effort, and I did everything that I could have, so Im very happy with where I am, getting a silver medal. One step up from my bronze in 2012.What will she tell her grandchildren about being an Olympian? It was the experience of a lifetime, she said. Ive grown to understand that 99 percent of the rest of the world will never have that opportunity. It was an honor and a blessing, and just very humbling to be able to be one of the few people to represent an entire country, and to also have your entire country supporting you.Not to mention the black community, which made Simone Manuel a top trending topic on Twitter after her victory.It means a lot, especially with whats going on in the world today, some of the issues with police brutality, Manuel said. I think this [gold medal] will kind of help bring hope and change to some of the issues going on in the world.I mean, I went out there and swam as fast as I could. My color just comes with the territory. Bobby Clarke Jersey . LUCIE, Fla. Radko Gudas Jersey . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. http://www.flyersjerseyscheap.com/?tag=jakub-voracek-jersey . 9. 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Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. BASEBALLCHICAGO -- November blazed like dazzling springtime in Chicago during a massive parade and rally to honor the Cubs first World Series title in 108 years and fulfill more than a century of pent-up dreams.A new generation of Cubs fans -- riding in strollers or on their parents shoulders -- joined their elders to cheer the baseball champions. For the youngest, the day would be their first bright memory of following a club once known as lovable losers.Their parents marveled at how their children will know the confident, young team as winners.A crowd, estimated by city officials at 5 million, lined Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Drive to cheer the motorcade of open-roofed buses carrying the players along a 7-mile parade route from the north side ballpark to sprawling Grant Park.CLEVELAND -- Two days later, the pain has diminished -- a little.The cruel sting of losing Game 7 hasnt completely left the Cleveland Indians.At the same time the Chicago Cubs were parading down Michigan Avenue after winning their first title in 108 years, the Indians -- who pushed the NL champions into extra innings in an unforgettable season finale before losing 8-7 -- took the first steps toward getting back to the Series in 2017.With deadlines approaching and no time for pity, the Indians locked up manager Terry Francona through 2020, exercising contract options for 2019 and 2020 on the 57-year-old manager, who steered the club around numerous obstacles to get it to its first Series since 1997.Cleveland exercised its $12 million option on slugger Carlos Santana for next season and declined a $13 million option on outfielder Coco Crisp, who gets a $750,000 buyout.PHOENIX -- Boston Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo was hired as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.Lovullo will be introduced at a news conference Mionday. He had been considered a leading candidate for the job after Red Sox assistant general manager Mike Hazen was hired as Diamondbacks GM.Lovullo replaces Chip Hale, who was fired after two seasons. Hazen took over from Dave Stewart, who also was dismissed after two years.PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired right-handed reliever Pat Neshek from Houston for a player to be named later or cash.Neshek was 2-2 with a 3.06 ERA in 60 relief appearances with Houston. He held right-handed hitters to a .172 average and had 43 strikeouts in 47 innings.The Phillies also announced Friday they exercised Nesheks club option for $6.5 million in 2017.HOUSTON -- The Astros exercised catcher/designated hitter Evan Gattis $5.2 million option for 2017.Gattis gets a $2 million raise. Houston could have paid a $100,000 buyout, which would have made Gattis eligible for salary arbitration.Gattis hit .251 with a career-high and team-leading 32 homers with 72 RBI in his second season in Houston after spending the first two years of his career with the Atlanta Braves.NBALOS ANGELES -- Lou Williams scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped Stephen Currys NBA-record streak of 157 games with a 3-pointer in a 117-97 victory over the Golden State Warriors.Julius Randle had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the rebuilding Lakers, who pulled off their second straight shocking home upset of the mighty Warriors with an impressive effort from their exciting young roster.ddddddddddddLakers coach Luke Walton also won his first meeting with his former team and his coaching mentor, Steve Kerr.Curry scored 13 points while going 0 for 10 from 3-point range, ending several incredible long-distance streaks. He had hit a 3-pointer in every regular-season game since Nov. 11, 2014.DALLAS -- Damian Lillard scored 27 of his season-high 42 points in the second half to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 105-95 victory over Dallas, sending the Mavericks to their first 0-5 start in franchise history.Mason Plumlee had 19 points and Al-Farouq Aminu added 12 points and 10 rebounds for Portland.HORSE RACINGARCADIA, Calif. -- For the last quarter of a mile, Songbird and Beholder refused to yield. They ran neck-and-neck, with their Hall of Fame jockeys looking for the tiniest edge.Gary Stevens, aboard Beholder, called it just a street fight.The 6-year-old mare landed the final blow, with Beholder edging Songbird by a nose in the $2 million Distaff on opening day of the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita.Even jockey Mike Smith had to agree it was an amazing, amazing race after his 3-year-old filly Songbird lost for the first time in 12 races.It was a thrilling finish to the four Cup races, three of which involved New York-based long shots winning on an 80-degree day.AUTO RACINGFORT WORTH, Texas -- Austin Dillon is on the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas two weeks after a heartbreaking finish knocked him out of the championship chase.Dillon had a fast lap of 192.301 mph in the final round of qualifying to earn his third career pole. Joey Logano qualified second, and will be the highest starter Sunday in the AAA Texas 500 of the eight drivers still eligible for the season championship. His best lap in the final session was 192.269 mph.The other Chase contenders to qualify in the top 10 were Kevin Harvick (third), Matt Kenseth (seventh), Carl Edwards (ninth) and Kurt Busch (10th). Denny Hamlin starts 17th.FORT WORTH, Texas -- Johnny Sauter won his second consecutive Chase race in the NASCAR Truck Series, making a late pass that prevented anyone else from clinching a spot in the title-clinching race like he already had.Sauter went high around Chase contender Matt Crafton just before the line with two laps remaining at Texas Motor Speedway.It was Sauters third win this season. He won the opener at Daytona and last week at Martinsville to earn the first of four spots available for a chance to win the trucks inaugural Chase championship at Homestead.With only next weeks race at Phoenix before the finale, there are still three spots up for grab.HOCKEYCOLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Montreal Canadiens were the last team in the NHL to lose a game in regulation this season -- and they did it in historic fashion.And the Columbus Blue Jackets made a little history of their own.Cam Atkinson, Nick Foligno, Scott Hartnell and Josh Anderson each scored two goals as Columbus swamped Montreal 10-0, matching the biggest loss in the Canadiens storied history and breaking the Blue Jackets franchise record.Montreal lost by 10 goals for the fifth time and the first since an 11-1 loss to Detroit in February 1995. The Canadiens dropped to 9-1-1. 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