Megan Rapinoe Is Epitome of Elegance in Navy Blue Dress at the Sports Illustrated Awards Gala

American female Soccer team captain Megan Rapinoe looked dazzling in a floor-length dress as she was honored as the Sports Illustrated "SportsPerson of the Year" in New York.

2019 Ballon D'Or winner in the female category, Megan Rapinoe had another accolade accorded to her as she won the Sports Illustrated "SportsPerson of the Year," after a remarkable year.

Rapinoe led the US Women's National Soccer team to win the 2019 World Cup held in France, where she shone, scoring six goals to top the scoring charts.

The 34-year-old again shone for the NYC award show, as she graced the celebration, with her floor-length Navy Blue dress catching the attention of all those in attendance.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's Instagram account posted a video of Rapinoe, where she showed a glimpse of her dress and said she was honored to receive the award.

The athlete also revealed she was happy to use her voice and platform to speak for many women across the world whose voice has been dimmed for one reason or the other.

Rapinoe's video also showed some of the dignitaries present at the awards, including Shaquille O'Neal. In the caption to the video, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit wrote:

"@mrapinoe is using her voice to empower women around the world and that is just one of many reasons her newest title of #Sportsperson of the Year is well deserved! [emoji]."

Sports Illustrated gave the award to Rapinoe because of her performance at the Women's World Cup and her activism. The award capped a golden year for the soccer star.

Apart from the award, Rapinoe also won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA awards for the best female player.

The decision to pick Rapinoe was an easy one to make, according to the co-editor of Sports Illustrated, Steve Cannella. He described her as a force of nature, saying:

"She is a force of nature on and off the field, a trailblazing soccer player who also proves every day how large and loud a voice a socially conscious athlete can have in 2019."

Megan Rapinoe also graced the cover of Sports Illustrated's 2019 Cover, wearing a white flower designed gown and holding a sledgehammer. The soccer superstar posted the picture of the cover on her Instagram page, alongside a caption.

In the caption to the post, Megan Rapinoe made a thoughtful statement. She said that although people do not get to choose what they see or what happens around them, or happens to them or others, they get to decide how they bear witness to it.

It will be recalled that Megan Rapinoe was also honored at the 2019 Glamour Women of the Year Awards in November. Megan wore a lovely red gown for the award and was supported by her US Women's National soccer teammates.

Megan is an excellent example of people who use their platform to impact positively on the world. Kudos to her.