Mikaela Shiffrin, Allyson Felix and other athletes react to Simone Biles earning prestigious honor from Sports Illustrated

Mikaela Shiffrin, Allyson Felix, Lindsey Vonn, and more athletes shared their reactions to Simone Biles being named Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year. She earned the major honor following her record-breaking performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

She not only became the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history, but also collected three golds and one silver at this year’s quadrennial games. With her remarkable performance, she redeemed herself by silencing her critics, who had complained about her withdrawal from multiple events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health.

Sports Illustrated announced Simone Biles as its Sportsperson of the Year on Instagram and other platforms.

Following the announcement, Shiffrin, Felix, Vonn, and others immediately shared their reactions to Biles adding another significant achievement under her belt. The 29-year-old skier mentioned under the post’s comments, writing:

“So deserved!!👏”

Meanwhile, the retired American star Allyson Felix reacted with the clapping hands emojis:

“👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾”

Vonn, who recently competed in her first World Cup race after returning to alpine skiing following her knee-replacement surgery, commented:

“Hell yeah 💪🏻💪🏻”

Flau'jae Johnson, the rapper and college basketball player for LSU, also joined in the comments as she responded with fire emojis:

"🔥🔥🔥”

Aly Raisman, former Olympic gold medalist, also shared her reaction to Biles’ major honor.

“STUNNING!!!!! 💕💕💕💕💕”

Screenshot of comments by athletes on Simone Biles’ earning major honor. Credits - IG/sportsillustrated

Six-time world champion wrestler Adeline Gray also commented with a heart-eye emoji:

“😍”

Screenshot of Gray’s comment. Credits - IG/sportsillustrated

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“It was really amazing to meet Simone Biles” - Mikaela Shiffrin recalled her conversation with gymnast at Paris Olympics

Simone Biles attends the Friends Of The Children 30th Anniversary Gala (Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images)

Mikaela Shiffrin reflected on her conversation with Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics, several months after the conclusion of the quadrennial games. While Shiffrin attended the games to support Team USA athletes, she met Biles there and initially planned to simply say hello and congratulate her on her performance.

However, she recalled how their conversation unfolded in an interview with Olympics.com in October, adding:

“I didn't know what to expect because obviously she was really busy in Paris right after her events, so I thought maybe we just say hi, a quick hug, congratulations…But we sat and talked for quite a while, and talking about everything. Of course, her experience in [2020 Tokyo Olympics] and comparing our experiences with the Olympics, but also just competing and the expectations that people have when they anticipate you're going to win everything – just the sort of similarities in that mentality.”

The 99-time World Cup winner further mentioned:

"So it was really cool, she's just like… she just loves to laugh, she just giggles and it's contagious. It was really amazing to meet her.”

Notably, Simone Biles supported Shiffrin during her tough time, especially when she returned home without a medal from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.