Getting the gold, both on and off the Olympic mat! Gymnast Simone Biles won the Best Championship Performance award at the 2021 ESPYs during their in-person ceremony in New York City on Saturday, July 10.
It’s no surprise to see the Texas native winning such monumental recognition — especially considering she is preparing to head to Tokyo to compete in the 2021 summer Olympic games. However, this also isn’t the first time the athlete has been honored at the ESPY awards, a sports-centric annual awards show hosted by ESPN.
In 2017, she won the awards for Best Female U.S. Olympic Athlete and Best Female Athlete. The year prior, she was nominated for Best Female Athlete but lost to basketball player Breanna Stewart. In 2019, Simone was nominated for Best Female Athlete but was bested by soccer star Alex Morgan.
As for the rest of her accolades, the gymnast is the most decorated athlete in her sport in the world. She currently holds four Olympic gold medals for team, floor, all-around and vault, as well as a bronze medal for balance beam, all of which she secured during the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro.
Additionally, Simone has won a whopping 25 medals over the course of nearly nine years of world championships. She first started competing at the elite level in 2013.
The Dancing With the Stars alum previously opened up about being proud of her successes — and how she hopes other women will join her in celebrating themselves. “It’s important to teach our female youth that it’s OK to say, ‘Yes, I am good at this,’ and you don’t hold back,” she told USA Today in October 2019. “You only see the men doing it. And they’re praised for it, And the women are looked down upon for it. But I feel like it’s good [to do] because once you realize you’re confident and good at it, then you’re even better at what you do.”
She added, “It’s not out of cockiness. I’ve won five World titles. If I say, ‘I’m the best gymnast there is,’ [the reaction is] ‘Oh, she’s cocky. Look at her now.’ No, the facts are literally on paper.”