Simone Biles faced a tough day at the Summer Olympics in Paris, slipping off the balance beam and making some mistakes on the floor exercise. These setbacks meant she didn’t win a gold medal for the first time during these Games, which was a surprising twist for the legendary gymnast.
But even with these challenges, Biles’ overall performance has been nothing short of incredible, especially considering it marks her powerful comeback from the disappointment she felt three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics.
During the individual beam final, Biles lost her balance and fell off the beam, which dashed her hopes of making more history in France. The gold medal in that event went to Alice D’Amato from Italy, while Zhou Yaqin of China took the silver, and Italian gymnast Manila Esposito earned the bronze.
Later in the floor final, Biles delivered what seemed to be another breathtaking performance. She has always shined on the floor, but this time, two instances of landing out of bounds cost her six-tenths of a point. This brought her final score to 14.133, just shy of gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who scored 14.166.
Despite how things ended, Biles’ journey in Paris has been extraordinary. She added to her already impressive legacy by winning gold in the team event with Team USA, the individual all-around competition, and the vault final.
These victories make Biles the most decorated American Olympic gymnast in history, with a total of 11 Olympic medals, including seven golds. She also set a new record as the oldest American gymnast to win a gold medal, achieving this feat at the age of 27.
Reflecting on her Olympic experience, Biles remained upbeat. “I accomplished way more than my wildest dreams – not just at this Olympics, but in this sport,” Biles shared with reporters. “So I can’t be mad at my performances.
A couple of years ago, I didn’t think I’d be back here at an Olympic Games, so competing and then walking away with four medals, I’m not mad about it. I’m pretty proud of myself.”
Biles had the chance to tie an incredible record if she had won both the beam and floor exercises on Monday. The only two women to have ever won nine Olympic gold medals are American swimmer Katie Ledecky and Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. Now, Biles will look ahead to the Los Angeles 2028 Games for another shot at reaching that milestone.
The beam final was challenging for many competitors, including Biles’ teammate Sunisa Lee, who also had a tough time during her routine. Lee lost her footing, slipped with the beam between her legs, and fell to the mat, finishing in sixth place, just behind Biles.
“It was a lot of pressure. It was just crazy to see how everybody was going down like that,” Lee said, reflecting on the tense atmosphere. “You could feel the tension in the room. The crowd shushing us for cheering. We didn’t like that as it was just so silent in there. I love hearing my teammates cheer for me.”
Biles also commented on the strange atmosphere during the beam final, noting how uncomfortable the silence was and how the crowd shushed them. She mentioned that gymnasts had previously asked for background music during beam finals but were turned down. “I don’t know. It was really weird and awkward,” Biles said.
“And we’ve asked several times if we can have some music or some background noise, so I’m not really sure what happened there. But yeah, not our favorite. None of us liked it.”
Despite the challenges she faced that day, Biles continues to be one of the most iconic figures in gymnastics history. Her achievements in Paris only add to her legendary status as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
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