The 2016 Thanksgiving Day Parade in Houston, Texas will be a special one for swimming fans, as Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel will be leading the parade. Manuel, a native of Sugar Land, Texas, was personally asked to be one of the grand marshals by Sylvester Turner, the mayor of Houston, back in September. Joining her as a grand marshal will be Houston native Simone Biles, an Olympic champion gymnast, as well as Dwight Howard, a center for the Houston Rockets.
Those of you who live in or around Houston can join in on the fun! The parade begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday, December 24th and will end at 11 a.m. More details can be found here.
While Manuel has been a member of the USA National Team for several years, this summer was the first time she’s ever represented the U.S. at an Olympic Games. She made history in Rio, becoming the first black woman to win Olympic swimming gold. That gold came in the 100 meter freestyle, where she set a new American Record in a tie with co-champion Penny Oleksiak. Manuel also brought home a gold from the 4×100 medley relay, and 2 silver medals from the 50 free and 4×100 free relay.
