The Associated Press women’s player of the year was recently named. It was WNBA player Caitlin Clark. Clark had a significant impact in the league this year both in terms of performance and in bringing viewership in her rookie season itself. Thus, she won 35 votes. The athlete who finished second was the goat Simone Biles, who had a brilliant Paris Olympics where she ended up winning four medals.

Simone had a point to prove after so many people doubted her after her withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics. But the gymnast showed her expertise on the mat and grabbed three gold medals. This earned her 25 votes from the jury. However, what caught fan’s attention was the third athlete on the list and the fact that the Associated Press gave Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif a place in the final.

The boxer has been under a lot of scrutiny and a topic of numerous raging debates ever since she made her first appearance in the Paris Olympics. This is because many have claimed that Imane, who competes in the female category, is a biological male. The rumors of this intensified even more when one of her opponents, Angela Carini, forfeited her bout against Imane Khelif as one of her punches hit her way too hard. This led to many fans asking for her disqualification from the competition. But Imane went on to win the gold medal, which did not sit right with many.

These people have been angered even more after she received four votes for the female athlete of the year, leading them to express their anger on social media. They believed that, as the case of Imane being a male or female still lies in ambiguity, it wasn’t right for her to be standing with two incredibly accomplished women athletes, Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark. Some, who have already made up their minds on Imane Khelif’s gender, have even trolled the boxer on social media.

One fan crudely said, “What a farce he/it got 4 votes! A group of 74 sports journalists from The Associated Press and its members voted on the award. Clark received 35 votes, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles was second with 25, and boxer Imane Khelif was third, getting four votes.” Thus, some fans were quite unhappy about the whole thing.

Olympics gold medalist’s inclusion in list sparks huge debate

Most fans were left immensely unhappy with the decision to give Imane Khelif a place in the finals of the Female Athlete of the Year list. “How was Khelif a finalist for Female Athlete of the Year? So tired of this nonsense,” said one fan. Amidst all the rumors of Imane Khelif being a biological male, the boxer had a lot of people rooting against her and waiting for the opportunity to celebrate her defeat. However, she rose above the critics and ended up winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

This is why she has also gained some support from a fraction of the fans post the competition. They believe that the boxer completely deserves her medal, and anything said against her is an attempt to pull her down while she is at the top. “If Imane Khalif is a woman, her condition does not make her any less of a woman. She doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. AND even at the end of 2024 it burns for them to see a woman succeed in a sport,” said one fan. Thus, the boxer remained a divisive subject among the fans.

But while this debate raged on, Simone Biles’ fans had a different bone to pick with the list. They completely believed that the gymnast had done enough this year in the Paris Olympics to make her the female athlete of the year over Caitlin Clarke. “I love that CC has made a huge impact on the WNBA, but she should never win any award over Simone Biles. I know gymnastics isn’t shown on ESPB every day, but people must not fully comprehend what Biles is and does. She’s the best female gymnast ever in the history of the world,” said one fan.

There is some obvious legitimacy to this claim. After all, Simone Biles winning four medals at the Olympics while defeating her rivals in gymnastics can’t be taken lightly at all. As this is such a regular task for her, many people have made the mistake of doing so, believing that this is merely habitual for her. But Simone had an extraordinary Olympics, which can very well stake a claim at the accolade.

Another fan also spoke about Simone Biles’ achievements while bringing two other candidates into the fray. “There were numerous athletes who should have been named Athlete of the Year over CC. AW scored 1000 points (first to do it) and won a gold medal. Simone Biles dominated women’s gymnastics and won multiple Olympic medals. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone dominated women’s track and field.”

A’ja Wilson played a crucial role in the US basketball team winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and thus deserves her flowers as well. On the other hand, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s unprecedented dominance in hurdling, where she has broken the world record six times, with two occasions coming this year, warranted a mention too. But this is not to say that Caitlin Clark or Imane Khelif deserved it any less. With fans continuing to pick sides, the list definitely seems to be controversial!