Simone Biles experienced a challenging day at the Summer Olympics in Paris, slipping off the balance beam and incurring penalties on the floor exercise.
Sadly, this led to her not winning a gold medal for the first time during these Games.
Despite these setbacks, her performance has still been remarkable, especially considering it marks a triumphant return from her disappointing experience three years ago at the Olympics in Tokyo.
In the individual beam final, Biles lost her balance and fell off the apparatus, which ended her chances of making further history in France. Alice D’Amato of Italy won the gold, Zhou Yaqin of China claimed the silver, and Italian Manila Esposito took the bronze.
Later, in the floor final, Biles appeared to deliver another stunning performance, an apparatus she has historically excelled in. However, two instances of landing out of bounds cost her six-tenths of a point, bringing her score down to 14.133, just behind gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who scored 14.166.
Despite the less-than-ideal conclusion, Biles’ overall performance in Paris has been extraordinary. She solidified her legacy by winning gold in the team event with Team USA, the individual all-around competition, and the vault final. With these victories, Biles became the most decorated American Olympic gymnast of all time, amassing 11 Olympic medals, including seven gold. She also set a new record as the oldest American gymnast to win a gold medal at 27.
Reflecting on her achievements, Biles remained positive. “I accomplished way more than my wildest dreams – not just at this Olympics, but in this sport,” Biles told reporters, per CNN. “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 a chance to tie an extraordinary record if she had won both the beam and floor exercises on Monday. The only two women to ever win nine Olympic gold medals are American swimmer Katie Ledecky and Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. Biles will now look to the Los Angeles 2028 Games for another opportunity to reach that milestone.
The beam final proved difficult for many competitors, including Biles’ teammate Sunisa Lee, who also fell during her routine. Lee lost her footing, landed 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. “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 unusual atmosphere during the beam final, noting the unsettling silence and the crowd’s shushing. She mentioned that gymnasts have previously requested background music during beam finals but have been denied. “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 sure what happened there. But yeah, it’s not our favorite. None of us liked it.”
Despite the day’s challenges, Biles remains one of the most iconic figures of all time in gymnastic history, with her achievements in Paris further cementing her status as a legendary athlete.
