At the Summer Olympics in Paris, Simone Biles had a difficult day after falling off the balance beam and getting penalized during the floor exercise.
Unfortunately, this prevented her from taking home a gold medal at these Games for the first time.
Her performance has been impressive despite these obstacles, especially given that it represents a victorious comeback from her dismal Olympic experience in Tokyo three years prior.
Biles’s dreams of creating further history in France were dashed in the individual beam final when she lost her footing and tumbled off the equipment. Italian Manila Esposito won the bronze, Chinese Zhou Yaqin won the silver, and Italian Alice D’Amato brought home the gold.
Later, in the floor final, Biles seemed to put on another incredible show, something she has always been good at. She lost six tenths of a point due to two out-of-bounds landings, though, and finished with a score of 14.133, barely behind Brazilian gold medallist Rebeca Andrade, who scored 14.166.
Biles has had a tremendous performance in Paris overall, even with the less-than-ideal ending. Her victories in the vault final, individual all-around competition, and team event with Team USA cemented her legacy. With these triumphs, Biles—who now has 11 Olympic medals, including seven gold—became the most decorated American gymnast in history. At27, she also broke the previous record for being the oldest American gymnast to win a gold medal.
When Biles thought back on her accomplishments, she stayed optimistic. According to CNN, Biles told reporters, “I accomplished way more than my wildest dreams – not just at this Olympics, but in this sport.” I thus cannot be angry with my performances. Since I never imagined that I would be attending an Olympic Games again, two years ago, I’m not upset about competing and winning four medals. I feel rather pleased with myself.
At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Simone Biles competes in the floor exercise for the women’s artistic gymnastics team. Photo credit: Getty / Jamie Squire.
If Biles had won both the floor and beam routines on Monday, she would have had the opportunity to tie an incredible record. American swimmer Katie Ledecky and Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina are the only two women in history to have won nine gold medals at the Olympics. Biles will now search for another chance to accomplish her goal in the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Many competitors found the beam final challenging, including Sunisa Lee, Biles’ colleague, who also stumbled during her routine. Lee finished in sixth place, right behind Biles, after losing her balance and falling to the mat with the beam between her legs.
There was a lot of strain. Lee remarked, “It was just crazy to see everyone going down like that.” “The tension in the room was palpable. The audience booed us for applauding. That bothered us as the place seemed eerily silent. Hearing my teammates applaud me makes me happy.
Biles also mentioned the peculiar ambiance of the beam final, pointing out the eerie quiet and the hushed audience. She said that in the past, gymnasts had asked for background music during the beam finals, but their requests had been turned down. “I’m not sure. I felt quite uncomfortable and strange,” Biles remarked. I’m not sure what happened there because we’ve asked multiple times to have some music or background noise. Yes, it’s not our fave, though. We were all not fond of it.
Notwithstanding the difficulties of the day, Biles continues to be one of the most recognizable characters in gymnastics history, and her triumphs in Paris have further strengthened her reputation as a legendary athlete.
