Simone Biles has been named the Sports Illustrated‘s Sportsperson of the Year for 2024. SI released the news on Thursday (Jan. 2), releasing a cover story for the annual honor. The 11-time Olympic medalist spoke about the recognition, calling the honor “exciting.”

“Honestly, it is such a huge honor. I know some of the greats that have won it in prior years, so to just keep gymnastics on the map is really exciting,” Biles told Good Morning America of the acolade. “I know a lot of people love the sport of gymnastics during an Olympic year and have followed my career closely, but I was still very shocked… I feel like I’m always shocked winning any sort of award or being honored.”

The storied magazine explained its reason for awarding Biles with the distinction, acknowledging her greatness and consistent dominance in gymnastics.  

“Simone Biles is Sports Illustrated’s 2024 Sportsperson of the Year because she won gold, and then another gold, and then another; because she changed the face of her sport and the conversations around athletes in general; because she continues to speak out about issues that matter to her,” SI said of Simone Biles. “And perhaps most of all because after she wondered aloud to [teammate Jordan] Chiles whether she was about to relive the darkest period of her career, she took a deep breath, she saluted the judges and she broke into a run.”

The SI distinction caps off a historic year for Biles, who returned to the Olympics for the first time since withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. During that time, Biles had suffered from “the twisties,” a psychological condition that causes a gymnast’s body to feel out of sync with their mind. But upon her return to the Olympics, she left no room for doubt as she reclaimed her throne, adding four new to her name. With her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Biles is now tied with the second-most decorated female gymnast in Olympic history.

Simone Biles is set to receive the 2024 Sportsperson of the Year award at Sports Illustrated’s annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas on Tuesday (Jan. 7). The show, live from Wynn Las Vegas, is set to be hosted by Keegan-Michael Key.