Simone Biles becomes the youngest recipient of BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award

Simone Biles becomes the youngest recipient of BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award

Simone Biles with the BBC SPOTY Lifetime Achievement Award

American gymnast Simone Biles has been awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. The 24-year-old is the youngest ever to receive the award. Biles is the third American woman to win it after ace tennis players Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King.

Simone Biles is considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, and with a total of 30 Olympics and World Championships medals is the most decorated American gymnast of all time. She hit the headlines at the 2016 Rio Olympics as Biles asserted her dominance, winning 5 medals, four of which were gold, and one bronze.

Simone Biles Career Medals

EventGoldSilverBronze
Olympic Games412
World Championships1933
Pacific Rim Championships200
FIG All-around World cup210
Total2755

Simone Biles endures a tough year

Simone Biles at Qualification in Tokyo Olympics

Simone Biles entered the Tokyo Olympics with a mission to tie the record for the most decorated female gymnast. The Tokyo Games were supposed to be the American’s coronation as the GOAT of gymnastics. Instead, it turned out to be a tryst as she pulled out of the finals of almost all events.

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Biles withdrew from five of her six finals at the Olympics in July to focus on her mental health. The four-time gold medallist suffered from a phenomenon known as the twisties that affected her spatial awareness when competing. The decision to step away from the Olympic finals for which she has been training for five years was a courageous decision and was welcomed by all.

If the debacle at the Tokyo Olympics was not enough, Simone Biles had to testify during a hearing over the FBI’s negligence in the case of Larry Nassar’s abuse of American gymnasts. Biles broke down as she relived the horrifying days of her life. The trauma of the abuse is one of the biggest reasons behind the 24-year old’s strained mental state.

Also Read | Simone Biles breaks into tears during sexual abuse testimony

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