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Aly Raisman Dazzles in Blue Strapless Mini Dress to Present Simone Biles With SI’s Sportsperson of the Year Award

It was a celebratory star-studded night for Sports Illustrated on Jan. 7.

Natalie Zamora

Aly Raisman at the TIME100 Women's Leadership Forum
Aly Raisman at the TIME100 Women's Leadership Forum / Shannon Finney/Getty Images for TIME

Sports Illustrated officially named Olympic gymnast Simone Biles its Sportsperson of the Year last week, a momentous achievement that the trailblazing athlete undeniably deserves. This week, the SI team, athletes and other celebs gathered at the Wynn Las Vegas on Tuesday night to celebrate the big honor. The event, which comedian Keegan-Michael Key hosted, saw multiple awards presented to the incredible recipients.

It was a star-studded night full of respected talent in the sports and sports media space, and the brand even invited other athletes to come up on stage to present the awards. For Biles, it was fitting that former Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman do the honor, which turned out to be such a fantastic choice. The 30-year-old, who was the captain of the United States gymnastics team for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, which both ended in wins, has competed alongside Biles multiple times. Over the years spent together, they’ve become—and remained—good friends.

Looking fantastic in a blue taffeta strapless princess mini dress, which featured the most feminine and colorful floral appliqués, Raisman walked the red carpet in style and later appeared on the stage to honor Biles. Both game-changing athletes have posed for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit multiple times, making them even closer to the brand’s heart.

While presenting the award, which was captured on the SI Swimsuit Instagram account’s story, the third-most decorated U.S. female gymnast in Olympic history said she felt “fortunate to have had a front-row seat in watching [Biles’s] journey to who [she has] become.”

“I feel honored that I get to present you with this well-deserved recognition,” Raisman continued before a video of Biles’s career played on the big screen. Currently, the 27-year-old athlete is the most-decorated U.S. female gymnast in Olympic history and is tied with Věra Čáslavská as the second most-decorated female Olympic gymnast ever. Needless to say, there was some serious sports royalty at the event last evening and they deserve every inch of recognition.

When announcing her new title as SI’s Sportsperson of the Year, the 11-time Olympic medalist and 23-time World Championship winner shared that it is, “such a huge honor and a blessing that I have paved the way for the younger generations in gymnastics.” Her Olympic comeback during the Paris Games in 2024, where she led Team USA to gold and won the all-around competition, was incredibly inspiring and still very much worth celebrating.

Other awards presented during the Jan. 7 ceremony include the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, given to former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo, the Innovator of the Year Award, presented to NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman and the Breakout Star of the Year title, awarded to college football player Travis Hunter.

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Natalie Zamora
NATALIE ZAMORA

Natalie Zamora is a leader in the digital media space who specializes in entertainment and lifestyle topics. After graduating from Rutgers University where she majored in English and minored in Cinema Studies, she currently works as the VP of Entertainment Content, FanSided/SI Swimsuit at Minute Media. In addition to SI Swimsuit, her work can also be found on sites such as Winter is Coming, Mental Floss, and more. With a deep passion for pop culture, Natalie has her finger on the pulse of trending topics and loves to keep up with her favorite celebrities.

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