HOUSTON – The Houston area’s own Olympics star, Simone Biles, was named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People annual list.
Also named on the list, released Thursday, are LeBron James, Colin Kaepernick, Ivanka Trump, Ryan Reynolds, Melinda Gates, Pope Francis and Alicia Keys.
The list is broken down into categories of pioneers, artists, leaders, titans and icons. Biles was categorized under the icon label.
The 19-year-old made a splash when she earned gold in the Rio De Janeiro Olympics as part of the United States gymnastics team dubbed the Final Five.
Time featured an article about Biles, written by comedian and Rio commentator Leslie Jones.
Jones wrote: “That girl was born to do what she does. And she is the best at it. Not the best black gymnast, not the best black-girl gymnast. The best gymnast. It really is inspiring.”