I drew this sketch of legendary swimmer Simone Manuel a few days after she swam the anchor leg that allowed the U.S. women to take bronze in the women’s 4x100 freestyle relay. When she missed 50 free final finishing in a tie for sixth in the semis, I couldn’t wrap my head around what athletes like her in that situation must be feeling. I imagined earning a medal somehow would make all her years and years of hard work worth it. What I didn’t imagine was the thoughtful and heartfelt response expressed by Manuel regarding this event. 🙌 Her posts on social media tell more of her story and I suggest you check out @swimone on Instagram. She is an athlete with tremendous talent and grace.
A quick sketch featuring Olympic athlete Carissa Moore. I was so excited to watch her earn a gold medal in Women’s Olympic Surfing! The first-ever women’s Olympic surfing gold medal!!!
And I love this quote by her:
"The ocean has changed my life. I can’t imagine my life without it. I’ll be surfing until I’m in the ground. Riding a wave makes you feel free. It makes you feel present and it makes you, I think, feel more in love with the ocean and yourself.”
I am a fan of Carissa and all the ways she inspires surfers—especially young women. Read a great TIME magazine article on her today and found that quote.
Congratulations Team USA’s Sunisa Lee for winning the gold medal in the women’s individual all-around final and her bronze medal in the uneven bars. So cool to see this Minnesotan take home the gold! Not sure I captured her magic on the balance beam in this sketch. I love everything about her backstory—her perseverance as a gymnast and her respect for her role model and teammate Simone Biles.
Allyson Felix won a bronze in the 400 meters Friday to win her 10th career medal and become the most-decorated woman in the history of Olympic track. Check out her account on Instagram at @allysonfelix.
Here are two of my favorite motivational quotes from her Allyson Felix.
“I’m not afraid of losing. I lose much more than I win. That’s life and I think that’s how it’s supposed to be. I’ve found that I learn more from my losses and that I have gained much more value in the journey toward a goal than achieving that goal. I’ll line up, I’ll give my best and I will either win or lose and that doesn’t scare me.” ~Allyson Felix
“So take off the weight of everyone else’s expectations of you. Know that there is freedom on the other side of your fear. Go out there and be brave with your life because you are worthy of your dreams.” ~Allyson Felix
As you can tell this post is all about Girl Power! Skateboarding made its debut performance at the Olympics this year— and it included so many amazing young athletes. In my sketch #GirlPower rules as Brazil’s 13-year-old Rayssa Leal takes home the first women’s street skateboarding Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Japan’s Momiji Nishiya, also 13, received the first women’s street skateboarding Olympic gold medal. You can follow Rayssa's adventures on Instagram at @rayssalealsk8.
All drawings created in Adobe Fresco and Photoshop.
