Basketball star Caitlin Clark was named the Associated Press (AP) Female Athlete of the Year on Tuesday, surpassing U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.
Khelif, who won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, faced scrutiny earlier this year due to gender-eligibility issues that led to her disqualification from the 2023 International Boxing Association’s Women’s World Boxing Championships.
Clark gained international acclaim during her college career at the University of Iowa, where she set the NCAA basketball scoring record. She became the top pick in this year’s Women’s NBA draft, selected by the Indiana Fever. Clark has already made her mark in the league, setting a single-game record with 19 assists and the season record with 337 assists, according to AP reports.
Clark is now only the fourth female basketball player to earn the prestigious AP Female Athlete of the Year title.
“I grew up a fan of Candace Parker and the people who came before me, so to be honored in this way is super special, and I’m thankful,” Clark said. “It was a great year for women’s basketball and women’s sports.”
Meanwhile, baseball star Shohei Ohtani won the AP Male Athlete of the Year award for the third time on Monday.
The AP decision was made by a panel of 74 sports journalists. Clark received 35 votes, while Biles, who secured gold in the individual all-around at the Paris Olympics, earned 25 votes. Khelif received four votes.
Reflecting on her journey, Clark expressed gratitude: “I’m thankful for the people I got to do [the year] with. A year ago, I was still in the early part of my senior year in college. … How fast things change, and now I can see how great a college season it was.”
This report was originally filed by Misty Severi for Just The News. Follow her on X for more updates.
