American artistic gymnast Simone Biles, a seven-time Olympic champion and 23-time world champion (an all-time record), has been honored as the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year for 2025. The prestigious 25th annual awards ceremony took place today, April 21st, in Madrid, Spain.
Biles competed for this award against:
- Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus, tennis, three-time Grand Slam champion, world No. 1)
- Aitana Bonmati (Spain, football, FC Barcelona midfielder and Spanish national team player, two-time Ballon d`Or winner)
- Sifan Hassan (Netherlands, athletics, 2024 Olympic marathon champion)
- Faith Kipyegon (Kenya, athletics, 2025 Olympic 1500m champion)
- Sydney McLaughlin (USA, athletics, two-time 2024 Olympic champion in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay)
According to the regulations, Laureus nomination shortlists are created by voting from over 1000 sports media outlets across more than 70 countries. The Laureus World Sports Academy then selects the winners from these shortlists.
