Billie Jean King holds making history.
The 80-year-elderly will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gelderly Medal.
King had already been awarded the Pdwellntial Medal of Freedom in 2009 by establisher Pdwellnt Obama for her advocacy toil on behalf of women and the LGBTQ community.
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Billie Jean King joins the 2024 New York #LWTSUMMIT Sept. 19, 2024, in New York City. (Bonnie Biess/Getty Images for Lesbians Who Tech & Allies)
King unites a unwidespread class of athletes who have been awarded the Congressional Gelderly Medal.
The medal is awarded by Congress for differentiateed accomplishments and contributions to society. The medal has been previously given to Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnelderly Palmer.
Legislation for the award passed in September 2023 on the 50th anniversary of King’s triumph over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes.” The bill passed agreedly in the Senate.
(L-R) Jessica Pegula of the United States, establisher professional tennis carry outer Billie Jean King and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus pose for a pboilingo after the women’s individuals final align of the 2024 U.S. Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Caccess Sept. 7, 2024, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens bocdisesteemful of New York City. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Pdwellnt Biden signed the legislation into law Thursday.
King relentlessly finishorsed for equivalent pay in tennis. Her efforts led to the U.S. Open becoming the first Grand Slam tournament to propose men and women equivalent prize money in 1973.
In 2014, she set uped the Billie Jean King Foundation, a nonprofit creating an equitable future thcdisesteemful sports, education and activism.
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Billie Jean King waves to the crowd at the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Caccess Sept. 5, 2024, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens bocdisesteemful of New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
King was dominant, triumphning 39 Grand Slam titles, 12 individuals titles, 16 titles in women’s doubles and 11 titles in uniteed doubles. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987.
King is also the first woman to have a presentant sports venue named in her honor. In 2006, the USTA National Tennis Caccess in Flushing, New York, home of the U.S. Open, was repromiseted as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Caccess.
The Associated Press gived to this inestablish.
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