Seven-time Olympic champion and 23-time world champion in artistic gymnastics, holding the absolute record in the sport`s history, American Simone Biles has been honored as the `Sportswoman of the Year` at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2025. The 25th annual awards ceremony took place today, April 21, in Madrid, Spain.
For this prestigious recognition, Biles was nominated alongside a formidable group of athletes:
- Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (tennis, three-time Grand Slam champion, former world number one);
- Spanish Aitana Bonmatí (football, midfielder for Barcelona and the Spanish national team, two-time Ballon d`Or winner);
- Dutch Sifan Hassan (athletics, 2024 Olympic marathon champion);
- Kenyan Faith Kipyegon (athletics, 2025 Olympic 1500m champion);
- American Sydney McLaughlin (athletics, two-time 2024 Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay).
According to the Laureus regulations, shortlists for the awards are compiled based on votes from over 1000 sports media representatives across more than 70 countries. Subsequently, the Laureus World Sports Academy makes the final selection of winners from these curated lists.
