Simone Biles, the American gymnastics legend, suffered a fall during her balance beam performance in the apparatus final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday. The fall resulted in a -0.3 penalty, leading to a fifth-place finish with a score of 13.100 points. Her teammate, Sunisa Lee, finished sixth in the event.
Italy’s Alice D’Amato secured the gold medal, while China’s Zhou Yaqin won silver and Italy’s Manila Esposito took bronze. Notably, this event holds significance for Biles, as she won bronze in the same event at the Tokyo Olympics after withdrawing from other finals due to mental health struggles and the ‘twisties.’
Despite the fall, Biles, who previously led the US women’s team to gold and claimed individual titles in the all-around and vault events, still has an opportunity to win her fourth gold medal in the floor exercise final later on Monday. The fall, however, adds another layer of intrigue to her already remarkable Olympic journey.
