Simone Biles earns AP Female Athlete of the Year honors

The Associated Press chose American gymnast Simone Biles as one of their athletes of the year.

Following the 2016 Rio Olympics, Simone Biles flew back home with a taste of victory. Not only did she represent the United States really well, but she earned a lot of hardware during her stay in Rio. At the conclusion of The Games, Biles would become the world’s greatest Olympians in terms of medal count (14 total, 10 gold). Albeit statistics didn’t have all the say in an end-of-year award presented by the Associated Press.

The AP also indicated that Biles received 31-of-59 votes towards the title. American swimmer Katie Ledecky tagged behind, notching another 20 votes. The last two finalists, Serena Williams and Breanna Stewart (basketball) were recipients of four votes each.

With a majority of the panel behind her, Simone Biles is far from the finish line. At only 19 years old, legends of the gymnastics community, including Mary Lou Retton, coined Biles as one of the best. And despite the pressure of chasing perfection in gymnastics, Biles remains hubble and down to Earth.

Even when the topic of her signature move, known as “The Biles,” Biles can’t hold back the grin that she’s known for sporting. That, in itself, is a treat nowadays. The majesty of her sport, along with the millions of eyes on a worldwide stage, doesn’t keep Biles off the ground. She displays her happiness, passion and hard work in a sport with some of the toughest line of judges.

Must Read: Best, Worst Superhero Movies of 2016

With the backing of the Associated Press and a conglomerate of followers, Simone Biles deserves every bit of good news that comes her way in future Olympic Games. Though she declined to attend UCLA to join its premiere women’s gymnastics program, it’s not anyone’s loss to see her fluidity on the world’s biggest stage. In fact, it’s only the beginning for Simone Biles.