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Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles is a winner again having clinched a Woman of the Year award after an incredible 2016, which saw her become known as “the greatest gymnast ever.”
The honor from espnW, a site focused on female athletes, recognizes her inspirational impact as well as her sporting accomplishments.
“Simone Biles had a year like no other and made an indelible mark on the sports and cultural landscapes that went far beyond gymnastics,” said Allison Overholt, editor-in-chief of espnW.
READ MORE: Simone Biles Wants to Be Taller When She Grows Up
After entering foster care because her birth mother struggled with a drug addiction, Biles busied herself with things she could control. She worked to conquer every skill and maneuver in gymnastics, even doing the math to calculate how much to rotate her body and how many steps it took to launch her body twice her height above the mat.
“When the role life handed her was too limiting, Biles rewrote the script and gave herself better lines,” said espnW writer Alison Glock. “Here was a woman who happened, just by her very existence, to be forcing every generation to do better. Because she did better.”
Her performance at the Rio Olympics last summer solidified her dominance as an athlete. Biles brought home five medals, including golds in the all-around competitions and the team competitions.
READ MORE: USA Women’s Team Dominates at the Olympics
Even before the 2016 Olympic Games, she proved she was a force to be reckoned with as she snatched her fourth consecutive gymnastics all-around national title.
She is also the first female gymnast to take home all-around gold at the World Gymnastics Championships three years in a row. Her 10 gold medals from there are the most of any female gymnast in history and her 14 total medals are the most of any American.
As Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to take home an all-around individual gold at the Olympics, has said, Simone Biles is “in a class all by herself.”
But other inspirational women are also receiving recognition from espnW for the positive impact they have made this year.
The list includes Jessie Graff from “American Ninja Warrior,” Leslie Jones, the “Saturday Night Live” star and “Ghostbusters” actress who brought attention to women in sports and Hillary Clinton, the first female presidential nominee of a major party.
Clinton, aside from inspiring women to break the glass ceiling, also started the Global Sports Mentoring Program while she was Secretary of State, which aims to empower women and girls through sports.
READ MORE: Hillary Clinton Has Strong Message for Young Women in Concession Speech (VIDEO)
“We’re proud to celebrate [Simone Biles’] achievements and those of all the incredible women who made the list,” said Alison Overholt. “These women altered the tenor of the conversation around women in sports and ignited our imaginations in 2016.”
For a full list of the honorees, visit espnW’s website.
