The First Female Athlete To Receive Congressional Gold Medal

Legendary tennis player and advocate for women’s rights Billie Jean King became the first female athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. This was made public by her in an Instagram post on September 27.

The 80-year-old’s pioneering efforts both on and off the court were recognized with the award, which also acknowledged his remarkable life devoted to championing equal rights for all, in sports and in society.

The bipartisan regulation recently went through the US Senate and Place of Delegates before President Joe Biden signed it into regulation.

In addition to the US Olympic team from 1980, nine individual athletes had previously received the Congressional Gold Medal, which is Congress’s most prestigious award for achievement.

Before King, all of those people had been men, and the award had been given to people like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, and Jack Nicklaus.

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King won 39 grand slam singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles during her active career; however, her greatest accomplishment is her victory over the self-described male chauvinist and former men’s world No. 1. 1 Bobby Riggs during the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes”

King, a longtime proponent of equality in rights, was also instrumental in promoting equal prize money and establishing the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973, which gave female tennis players a single voice and the ability to negotiate.

She also worked for Title IX, a law that guarantees equal funding for men’s and women’s sports programs in schools and colleges, outside of tennis.

Billie is one of tennis’ greatest athletes and brand ambassadors, and her influence off the court is even greater than her performance on it.