Simone Biles and nurse who received first Covid vaccine to get top US honor

The gymnast Simone Biles and soccer player Megan Rapinoe are among 17 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honor, the White House announced on Friday.

The two sport stars are being celebrated for their accomplishments in competition and in social activism.

Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, with 32 Olympic and world championship medals, was also recognized for her activism surrounding mental health and sexual assault.

Following her withdrawal from several events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Biles was widely praised for speaking about the mental health challenges of being an elite athlete.

With several teammates, Biles also spoke out about sexual abuse perpetrated by a former USA Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar. In 2021, Biles testified in front of the Senate judiciary committee.

Rapinoe, an Olympic medalist and two-time World Cup winner, is being celebrated as a campaigner for gender pay equality, racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights.

Other 2022 honorees included the actor Denzel Washington, the late Republican senator and presidential candidate John McCain, the late Apple founder Steve Jobs and Sandra Lindsay, the first American to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

Gabrielle Giffords, a former Arizona congresswoman and mass shooting survivor who now campaigns for gun control reform, will also be honored.

The award ceremony will take place on 7 July.