Simone Biles Accepts TIME100 Impact Award at 2025 TIME100 Gala
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, accepted a TIME100 Impact Award at New York City's Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 24.
TIME100 Impact Awards recognize global leaders who have gone above and beyond to move their industries—and the world—forward.
Biles attended the star-studded ceremony with her mother. Actor Kristen Bell, who is 5'1, jokingly explained why she was presenting an award to Biles, who is 4'8: 'I wanted to give her this award tonight because for once, I wanted to tower over someone while also feeling super weak.' Biles boasts 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals.
But on a more serious note, Bell said Biles deserves the award because she doesn't just rest on her laurels. 'She continues to use her achievements and her example to lift others up.'
Practices can be stressful, but Biles tries to make them fun. She spoke about being true to herself. As she explained onstage, 'I was expected to be robotic and compartmentalize my feelings in order to achieve what might otherwise be an overwhelming goal. But that just wasn't me. I needed to smile, to laugh, to occasionally play practical jokes. I found ways to keep competition and training environments polite and fun, and it allowed me to succeed.'
In addition to her balancing acts in the gymnasium, Biles speaks openly about the need for balance in life. She made a historic comeback this summer, racking up four medals (three of them gold) in the 2024 Paris summer Olympics after withdrawing from the Tokyo games in 2021 to preserve her mental health. Her recovery is documented in the Netflix series Simone Biles Rising.
In a tribute to Biles for the 2025 TIME100 list, Aly Raisman, three-time Olympic gold gymnast, called her fellow Olympian both 'deeply human and undeniably superhuman,' so much so that 'my teammates and I used to joke that we were all competing for second place.'
But at the gala, Biles said you don't need medals to have confidence or make a difference. As she put it, 'You don't need to stand on an Olympic stage in order to have an impact, and you certainly don't need to win medals. You just need to show up and stay true to who you are.'
Past TIME100 Impact Award recipients include Steven Spielberg and Michael J. Fox.
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The TIME100 Gala is TIME's annual celebration of the TIME100 list of the world's most influential people. The Gala brings together icons, leaders, change-makers, and celebrities from across industries and nations for one lively evening of meaningful dialogue and celebration.
TIME is teaming up with ABC to bring viewers inside the exclusive TIME100 Gala with a special television event. TIME100: The World's Most Influential People, produced in partnership with P&G, airs Sunday, May 4 at 10 p.m. EDT on ABC, and the next day on Hulu, featuring host Snoop Dogg, a performance by Ed Sheeran, and appearances by Demi Moore, Serena Williams, and more.
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