King becomes first female athlete to be awarded Congressional Gold Medal

NEW YORK, Sept 27 - Billie Jean King has been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States Tennis Association said on Friday, becoming the first individual female athlete to receive the honour.

Sep 28, 2024 - 11:25

Sep 28, 2024 - 12:57

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King becomes first female athlete to be awarded Congressional Gold Medal

Billie Jean King has set a record of being the first female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, an honorary award granted to civilians in the United States. This historic accomplishment, which was approved by the U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledges King’s crusade for women’s rights and social change both on the tennis court and everywhere else. King fought for a fair share of the prize money as the formation of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and continues fighting for the young generation.

The bill to honour King was introduced in the year 2023 and was approved by the U.S. Senate in May of the following year. Some of her major achievements include insisting on equal cheques at the U.S. Open held in 1973 when women were paid the same pay as men for the first time in tennis. King’s stunning triumphant over Bobby Riggs in the so-called ‘Battle of the Sexes’ is also an important memory in sports history and women’s emancipation.

This award forms part of her achievements; the other one was the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by Barack Obama in 2009. While it is evident that the King revolutionized tennis, it is imperative to note that she is also an icon of equal rights as a woman is, in any society today. And so it is with this latest barrier to be smashed. This accolade properly situates her not just in the pantheon of sports heroes but in the fight for civil rights.

US open Tennis shared this in a tweet;