US President Biden awards the Medal of Freedom to Rapinoe and Biles

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US President Joe Biden puts the medal on Megan Rapinoe

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J.Scott Applewhite/AP

US President Joe Biden honored soccer world champion Megan Rapinoe and exceptional gymnast Simone Biles with the highest civilian honor in the USA.

Biden described Biles as a "pioneer and role model" at the ceremony in the White House in Washington on Thursday.

She gave greater meaning to her personal pain and now speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Record world champion Biles took part in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, made mental problems public there and therefore gave up several starts.

The 25-year-old was one of hundreds of gymnasts who had sued former American team doctor Larry Nassar for sexual abuse.

Since then, she has spoken openly about her emotional distress.

At the ceremony, Biden recognized star player Rapinoe as "an advocate of the fundamental American truth that every human being has the right to be treated with dignity and respect".

Rapinoe receives the award as the first female soccer player

The 37-year-old recently successfully led the fight for equality for US soccer players.

The US Football Association and unions for the women's and men's national teams reached an historic contract in May that guarantees all players equal pay, including bonuses.

Rapinoe had also spoken before the US Congress on the issue of equal pay.

She is the first soccer player to receive an award.

Also honored was Democratic politician Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head and seriously wounded in an assassination attempt in 2011 as an MP and is also set to receive a medal.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who lost his battle with cancer in 2011 at the age of 56, and Republican Senator John McCain, who died in 2018, received the award posthumously.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution "to the security or national interest of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public causes."

Last year, former US President Donald Trump distributed several medals of freedom before the end of his term in office.

Legendary football coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots had rejected Trump's award after the storming of the US Capitol.

ngo/dpa