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Trump to award three athletes medal of freedom

Jan. 06, 2021 03:01AM EST
 Dan Ackermann

President Trump will award three athletes the Medal of Freedom on Thursday, including a posthumous award to two-time Olympic gold medalist Babe Zaharias, according to White House officials.

Why it matters: The ceremony is part of Trump's final awards spree in the remaining days of his presidency. On Monday, he awarded the Medal of Freedom to House Republican Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). He's scheduled to dole out the same honor to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) next week.

Details: On Thursday, Trump will also award the Medal of Freedom to golfers Annika Sörenstam and Gary Player. They were previously announced as recipients in March, but the ceremony was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Beyond her gold medals, awarded for feats in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Zaharias was a professional golfer and won 10 LPGA major championships.

Worth noting: Of the 18 Medals of Freedom previously awarded by Trump, only one recipient has been a woman.

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