While Manuel did not qualify to swim in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2020 US Olympic Trials, Team USA coach Greg Meehan decided to put her on the relay in the finals of the event at the 2020 Olympic Games in place of some of the relay-only swimmers who qualified at the US Olympic Trials and had already swum in the prelims. Manuel was entered as the anchor, fourth, swimmer for the relay. In the final, Manuel helped the relay finish in third place with a time of 3:32.81 and won her first medal of the 2020 Olympics, a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.