SEVILLE, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 05: Billie Jean King attends the Players Welcome Party prior to the Billie ... [ ] Jean King Cup Finals at Estadio de La Cartuja on November 05, 2023 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images for ITF)

September ended with a historic win for women’s sports. As announced in a post made by the U.S. Open’s Instagram account last week, Billie Jean King is now the first individual woman athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. This is no small feat—the Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest non-military honors presented by the U.S. Congress to those who’ve made outstanding achievements for American society.

The Congressional Gold Medal has been around since the American Revolution and includes notable recipients such as former NFL player Stephen Gleason, activist Rosa Parks, former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela, the Wright brothers and even George Washington. After President Joe Biden signed the “Billie Jean King Congressional Gold Medal Act” legislation into law last Thursday, that list now includes King.

Tennis player Billie Jean King competing against retired pro Bobby Riggs in the 'Battle of the ... [ ] Sexes' match at the Houston Astrodome in Texas on September 20th, 1973. King won in three straight sets. (Photo by UPI/Bettmann........

© Forbes