Our own undefeated two-division world champion Claressa Shields was named the 2019 Individual Sportswoman of the Year by the Women’s Sports Foundation this week. The award was given this past week by the Women’s Sports Foundation at their 40th Annual Salute to Women in Sports event.

Shields won the award for individual sports topping a field of 10 finalists that included American gymnast Simone Biles.  She took to Instagram to mention the award saying, "I’m honored to be the winner of the Women's Sports Foundation individual Sports woman of the year for the 2nd time! I love coming to the gala and seeing all of the other strong women! Shout to all the finalists! And congrats to all the award winners -yours truly GWOAT." (Greatest Woman of All Time)

Shields, who is 24, is the only American both male or female to win two Olympic boxing gold medals. She has prided herself in being a positive role model for young girl not only in her beloved city of Flint, but across the country.

Recently the boxer has had some bad press related to the cancellation of her bout her in Flint with Croatia’s Ivana Habazin due to a altercation between Habazin's trainer and her brother prior to the fight. The situation unfortunately made difficult for critics to forget to separate the athlete from the incident.  Shortly after Shield's issued a statement that resonated her love for Flint and her desire to giveback with holding the match in her hometown.

 "My heart is with my city of Flint, a city desperately in need of some good news -- desperately in need of a moment of relief from the every day chaos and trauma of living with poverty and violence. My heart is with the team at Showtime and the hundreds of people who invested in my dream and stood behind me when I desired to give back to my hometown."

Shield's has been a source of pride for Flint since her career began proving that hard work and determination can truly lead to greatness. The Salute to Women in Sports Awards honors the power of game-changing athletes and inspirational leaders in sports and life, who all collectively serve as role models to young girls and future generations. Congratulations Claressa for making Flint proud.

 

 

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