WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Freedom to two politically active female athletes — soccer star Megan Rapinoe and gymnast Simone Biles — and to the late Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs as part of his first slate of recipients of the nation’s highest civilian honor.
At 25, Biles is the youngest-ever medal recipient, while Rapinoe is the first soccer player to receive the award, Biden said at a White House ceremony Thursday.
“Beyond the World Cup titles and Olympic medals, Megan is a champion for the essential American truth that everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect,” Biden said of Rapinoe, who has campaigned for equal pay for women athletes and on behalf of LGBTQ+ causes.
