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Simone Biles can add another accomplishment to her loaded resume. Months after dazzling at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Biles was recognized by Sports Illustrated as the magazine's 2024 Sportsperson of the Year.
Biles, 27, has never won the award before and is the first gymnast to receive the honor since Mary Lou Retton in 1984. She is also the first female athlete to win the award since Naomi Osaka and Breanna Stewart were two of five recipients in 2020.
The award goes to the athlete whose athletic achievements and humanitarian acts had the greatest impact on the world of sports, through the eyes of Sports Illustrated. Biles' inspiring comeback story from a disastrous 2020 Tokyo Olympics, followed by a near-retirement, made her the clear-cut 2024 winner.
Off the mats, Biles has always prioritized using her platform for the greater good. She fought through pain and opened up by testifying against disgraced doctor Larry Nassar in 2021. That same year, she became one of the biggest athletes campaigning for mental health awareness after the Tokyo Olympics.
Everything Biles went through between 2021 and 2024 made her return in Paris more personal than anything. Given the way Tokyo went, nobody saw her returning to form. Add that to the fact that she was already 27, an age that is typically the athletic prime for most sports but is well over the hill for female gymnasts. She was already considered the greatest gymnast of all time and seemingly had nothing left to prove.
Simone Biles' Paris Olympics domination
Considering all the intangibles, despite being widely recognized as one of the greatest female athletes of all time, few saw Biles claiming even a single medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Just three years before, she shocked the world by withdrawing from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, citing her mental health. Fighting through public criticism for her decision, Biles was only able to obtain one bronze medal in Japan.
Yet, eight years after initially gracing the Olympic scene, Biles looked better than ever. She took home three gold medals in 2024, winning the vault event, individual all-around and team all-around. She claimed the team all-around gold next to teammate Suni Lee, who was also making a triumphant comeback of her own.
By even going to Paris, Biles became just the fourth American female gymnast to compete in three Olympic games. At the end of the event, she symbolistically represented Team USA in the closing ceremony.
