Gymnastics star Simone Biles named AP Female Athlete of the Year a third time after dazzling return
Simone Biles is The Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year.
Her triumphant return that included her record eighth US national championship and a sixth world all-around gold made Biles the sixth woman to claim the AP honour for a third time. The 26-year-old seven-time Olympic medalist was followed by Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati of the World Cup champion Spanish soccer team in voting by a panel of sports media professionals.
And to think, she wasn’t really sure what awaited her on that summer night in front of a packed arena that supported her at every turn, a response she says she didn’t anticipate.
Hard to blame her.
The last time Biles had saluted the judges, she was earning a bronze medal on the balance beam at the end of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the end of a tumultuous two weeks where her decision to pull out of multiple finals due to ” the twisties ” (think mid-air vertigo) dragged the sometimes uncomfortable conversation about athletes and their mental health into the white-hot spotlight only the Games provide.
Though she drew near-universal acclaim for her courage to put her safety first, a quick check of her mentions on social media showed not everyone agreed.
She took a two-year hiatus in the aftermath, going into what she called a “protective shell.” She dove deeper into therapy while eyeing a return on her terms.
Still, that didn’t stop self-doubt from creeping in. Only this time, instead of letting the anxiety gnaw at her confidence, she accepted its presence, took a deep breath, and put on the kind of show that is hers and hers alone.
“I did a lot better than I thought I would do,” Biles said.
Same as it ever was.
Biles previously won the AP honor in 2016 and 2019, times in her life she now barely recognises.
She was still a teenager following her star-making performance at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Still living at home with her parents. Her world still revolved around the spaceship of a gym her family built in the Houston suburbs.
Thinking about it, she can’t help but shake her head a little bit. Biles remembers thinking she only had time to practice and — if she was lucky — get her nails done.
It’s not that way anymore. She’s made it a point to make sure that the sport she’s redefined no longer defines her.
Biles married Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens in the spring.
