Simone Biles has been awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. The US Gymnast is widely considered one of the greatest of all time. She has won four Olympics medals and has won a combined total of 32 World Championships and Olympics.
Her contribution to mental health awareness is also one of the factors that has made her the youngest recipient of the award. Simone Biles is the most successful gymnast ever at the World Championships. Her total in 2018 was 20 medals, which established her as the most successful gymnast ever.
What has Simone Biles said?
‘The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award is truly humbling,’ she said.
‘When I see those names who have been honoured before me I can hardly believe it.
‘This year wasn’t quite the year I was expecting as I had to take a step back from competition to recover from an invisible injury.
‘This was the hardest decision of my life, but I chose to speak out to show mental health struggles are nothing to be ashamed of.
‘I want to thank my teammates, my friends, and my family who gave me so much love and strength.
‘I will carry on fighting for what I believe in and for sport to be a safer place for young people to grow and flourish.
‘Thank you again for this truly wonderful honour and what it represents.’
She has hence been given the lifetime achievement award in recognition for her brilliance in the sport and away from it.
