American gymnastic queen Simone Biles has another feather in her cap.
Biles, the 11-time Olympic medalist, was on Thursday named Sports Illustrated’s 2024 Sportsperson Of The Year.
“Simone Biles is Sports Illustrated’s 2024 Sportsperson of the Year because she won gold, and then another gold, and then another; because she changed the face of her sport and the conversations around athletes in general; because she continues to speak out about issues that matter to her,” the magazine wrote of Biles.
“And perhaps most of all because after she wondered aloud to (teammate Jordan) Chiles whether she was about to relive the darkest period of her career, she took a deep breath, she saluted the judges and she broke into a run.”
She earned the honor after adding four new Olympic medals — Team, All-around, Vault, Floor Exercise — to her coveted tally from the Paris 2024 after withdrawing from a team final event at Tokyo 2020.
Speaking of Biles, her closest friend and teammate Jordan Chiles recalls the withdrawal incident from the U.S. Olympic Trials that June as quoted by the American Sports Magazine, “Her face just didn’t look O.K. to me”.
“I kinda got in my head,” Biles admitted afterward.
A day later, Chiles said, “something just turned off,” as Biles started snapping at teammates.
That night Biles practiced alone for the Tokyo 2020 team final. During the event she lost her air awareness and dropped into the mat. Later, she was cheering for her teammates, who received the silver without her.
And she started withdrawing from events after event, almost devastated.
The 27-year-old will receive the 2024 Sportsperson of the Year on January 7 when the magazine hosts its annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas.
The annual ceremony at at Wynn Las Vegas will be hosted by actor Keegan-Michael Key.
Sports Illustrated has awarded its Sportsperson of the Year award annually since 1954.