Billie Jean King makes history as the first individual female athlete to be awarded Congressional Gold Medal
Billie Jean King keeps making history.
The 80-year-old will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
King had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by former President Obama for her advocacy work on behalf of women and the LGBTQ community.
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King joins a rare class of athletes who have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
The medal is awarded by Congress for distinguished achievements and contributions to society. The medal has been previously given to Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.
Legislation for the award passed in September 2023 on the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes." The bill passed unanimously in the Senate.
President Biden signed the legislation into law Thursday.
King relentlessly advocated for equal pay in tennis. Her efforts led to the U.S. Open becoming the first Grand Slam tournament to offer men and women equal prize money in 1973.
In 2014, she founded the Billie Jean King Foundation, a nonprofit creating an equitable future through sports, education and activism.
King was dominant, winning 39 Grand Slam titles, 12 singles titles, 16 titles in women’s doubles and 11 titles in mixed doubles. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
King is also the first woman to have a major sports venue named in her honor. In 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, home of the U.S. Open, was rededicated as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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