NEW YORK (AP) — Boxer Claressa Shields and basketball player Natalie Schneider won the Sportswoman of the Year awards at the Women’s Sports Foundation's annual dinner.
Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, won in the individual category, while Schneider, a three-time Paralympic medalist, won in the team event at the Salute to Women in Sports on Thursday night.
Billie Jean King and nearly 1,000 attendees celebrated the 50th anniversary of equal prize money at the U.S. Open and her victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” match in 1973. Julie Foudy and LaChina Robinson hosted the 49th annual event at Cipriani Wall Street.
“We must always challenge and strive to change the status quo,” King said. “I am encouraged to see this year’s honorees who are breaking records, eliminating barriers and empowering future generations to keep playing.”
Stacey Allaster, the first female tournament director at the U.S. Open and former CEO of the WTA, received the Billie Jean King Leadership Award.
Rosalie Fish was honored with the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award. Fish, a long-distance runner at the University of Washington, is a member of the Cowlitz tribe. She advocates for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
The Champions for Equality Award went to Jon Patricof and Jonathan Soros. They are the co-founders of Athletes Unlimited, which provides professional women’s sports opportunities in basketball, softball, volleyball and lacrosse.
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