Olympic gold-medalist Simone Biles received an honor from the White House, alongside sixteen other inspiring candidates.
The four-time world champion gymnast received the nation’s highest civilian honor.
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Simone Biles, who started gymnastics at the age of six years old, made history as she became the youngest gymnast to be awarded the honor, according to President Joe Biden.
Biles expressed her excitement and nervousness in receiving the honor.
“Hearing that I was the youngest was a huge honor,’ she told reporters outside the White House on Thursday.
“It’s kind of scary because it is the best award you can receive in your whole life, so now it’s kind of scary, like, ‘Oh, what do I do now?’ But it’s a huge honor,” Biles concluded.
Biles was recognized as a “former foster child who became once in a generation athlete.”
As well as contributing to American sport by winning 7 Olympic medals.
And it’s not only that, the 25-year-old has also been recognized for her work as an advocate for victims of s*xual abuse and for mental health…
“With courage and honesty, she expands the legacy of our greatest champions who challenge the powerful and speak up for justice and the wellness of body and mind,” the White House said.
Last year, Biles and a “group of elite US gymnasts” even testified before the government and said there “were failures in the FBI’s handling of the s*xual abuse case” against Larry Nassar.
And not long after in 2018, Larry Nassar, the former US Gymnastics team doctor, was given a life sentence of 175 years in prison, after pleading guilty.
Biles had previously revealed her struggle to recover mentally from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to abuse from Nassar…
But she never backed down from voicing her opinions and even went on to say that Biden had praised her for “speaking out on tough issues.”
“It was really exciting to hear that and to know that my hard work is paying off… he said that’s why they chose me,” she said.
But that’s not all, the gymnast didn’t shy away from talking about her experience at the Tokyo Olympics.
She said it “taught her to stand up for herself.”
“Everybody asks, ‘If you could go back, would you?’Â No. I wouldn’t change anything because everything happens for a reason. And I learned a lot about myself — courage, resilience, how to say no and speak up for yourself,”she told the New York Magazine last year.
Simone was joined by sixteen other awardees, including soccer star and fellow Olympic gold medalist Megan Rapinoe.
Congratulations Simone Biles, you deserve this honor!