Simone Biles to address Washington University as she is set to receive a major honor

Simone Biles is set to receive another major honor. The Olympic champion will be receiving an honorary degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Biles will also deliver the commencement address, as she receives an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. She will receive her honor alongside luminaries like actress Jenifer Lewis, philanthropists Paula C. Riney and Rodger O. Riney, scientist Rochelle Walensky & investor Jess B. Yawitz.

A couple of weeks ago, the 11-time Olympic medallist received another honor from Time magazine. The gymnast was included in the TIME100 list of the most influential people of 2025, with a special note from her former teammate and Olympic champion, Alexandra 'Aly' Raisman.

Biles responded to the honor as she posted on her Instagram profile,

"TIME 100 ❤️ so blessed and honored to be apart of time 100’s most influential list "

After her stupendous performance at the Paris Olympics, Simone Biles has received multiple honors. The Olympic champion gymnast was awarded the Sportsperson of the Year Award by Sports Illustrated magazine in December last year. She also won her fourth Laureus award of her career when she was awarded the Sportswoman of the Year by the Laureus World Sports Awards 2025.

Simone Biles shares her thoughts on embracing her 'muscular' body as a young girl

Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

Simone Biles recently recounted embracing her 'muscular' identity as a young girl. The seven-time Olympic gold medallist was six years old when she joined her first gymnastics program.

In her autobiography, 'Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance', which was published in 2016, Biles mentioned her physical appearance as she wrote,

"At the time, I was fourteen and small for my age. A four-feet-eight-inch ball of nonstop energy, I liked to say I was four feet nine just so I could feel taller. But I was also strong. I’d been born with the kind of biceps and muscled calves that, back in third grade, had earned me the nickname swoldger—a cross between swollen and soldier."

She further added,

"At first, I did think it was kind of mean. But after a while, I embraced it. I was like, Yeah, I’m stronger than half of the boys in my class, so don’t mess with me."

Simone Biles recently made a visit to the MET Gala alongside her husband and NFL player Jonathan Owens. She had recently attended the Kentucky Derby as well.

About the author

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee