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FEMALE CHAMPION OF THE YEAR 2023
In 2023, Simone Arianne Biles, born on March 14, 1997, in Columbus, Ohio, became the world's most decorated gymnast, male or female. Her triumphant return to competition after a two-year hiatus cemented her status as the greatest of all time in the sport she took up at the age of six. Her major international medals to date are seven Olympic medals – four gold, one silver, two bronze; and 30 World Championship medals – 23 gold, four silver, three bronze. The now 26-year-old American announced her comeback in June 2023 and went on to dominate the all-around at the 2023 US Classic gymnastics competition in early August. It was her first event since withdrawing from the women’s team final and four subsequent individual finals at the Tokyo 2020 Games in 2021, to prioritise her mental health as she dealt with a case of ‘twisties’ - what gymnasts describe as a kind of mental block which causes a person to lose their sense of space and dimension as they are in the air. Towards the end of August 2023, a historic eighth individual all-around title at the US Championships followed, as the seven-time Olympic medalist continued to deliver stunning performances. Then she claimed a sixth all-around world title in Antwerp, Belgium, in October, in addition to winning gold medals in the floor exercise, balance beam and team. Antwerp proved the perfect stage for the feat. Biles made her global debut in the same city in 2013, winning four medals including her first all-around gold. She's now the only gymnast to win all-around world titles a decade apart. In 2016, Biles became the first male or female gymnast to be voted as AIPS Best Athlete of the Year. She took a sabbatical in 2017 and returned to claim the accolade again back-to-back in 2018 and 2019.
1. BILES SIMONE - Gymnastics, USA 353
2. Kipyegon Faith - Athletics, Kenya 329
3. Bonmati Aitana - Football, Spain 297
4. Shiffrin Mikaela - Ski, USA 256
5. Assefa Tigst - Athletics, Ethiopia 237
6. Swiatek Iga - Tennis, Poland 203
7. Bol Femke - Athletics, The Netherlands 190
8. Rojas Yulimar - Athletics, Venezuela 176
9. Putellas Alexia - Football, Spain 158
10. Ledecky Katie - Swimming, USA 135
AIPS members from the following nations participated in the Best of 2023 poll: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, The Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Perù, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Yemen.
MAIN PHOTO: Gold medalist Simone Biles of Team Uni- ted States during the medal ceremony for the Women's All Around Final of the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics WC.
PHOTO BY NAOMI BAKER/GETTY IMAGES