With a stellar performance at the summer Olympic games that resulted in 5 medals, it’s safe to say that Simone Biles is considered one of the top names in sports in 2016. But this week, the Associated Press confirmed her elite status, naming her their Female Athlete of the Year.
According to the AP, Biles received the honor after a vote conducted by news editors and directors around the United States; after all the votes were in, Biles came away with the victory after receiving 31 out of a possible 59 votes.
The AP reports that “U.S. Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, who won four golds and a silver in Rio, finished second with 20 votes. Serena Williams, who won Wimbledon for the seventh time to tie Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles, and three-time AP women’s NCAA basketball Player of the Year Breanna Stewart tied for third with four votes each.”
The fifth gymnast to receive the title, the AP says previous honorees include “Olga Korbut in 1972, Nadia Comaneci in 1976, Mary Lou Retton in 1984 and Gabby Douglas in 2012.”
Congratulations to the world-class athlete!
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