Simone Biles, who had an outstanding performance throughout the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, was unable to secure gold in her final events. Biles earned a silver medal in the floor exercise but missed the podium entirely in the balance beam final.
After the competition, Biles, who has won three gold medals at these Games (team all-around, individual all-around, and vault), expressed her dissatisfaction with the environment during the balance beam event . The most decorated gymnast in history , with 40 medals in total, suffered a fall that took her out of medal contention in this event.
“The balance beam is always the most stressful apparatus. We usually have music or background noise, something. Honestly, we perform better with that kind of noise because it feels like training. Today, you could hear Android ringtones, camera clicks, and all sorts of distractions,” Biles said.
She added, “You try to stay in your zone, but people start cheering, and the whispers get louder. They really need to be quiet because they’re louder than… I don’t know, it was really weird and uncomfortable.” Biles mentioned that both she and other athletes had requested changes to the atmosphere, but their concerns were not addressed.
Simone Biles of Team United States competes in the Artistic Gymnastics Women’s Floor Exercise Final. Naomi Baker/Getty Images
“We’ve asked several times for some music or background noise. None of us enjoyed it… It was a strange balance beam final,” Biles commented. She now holds 11 Olympic medals in her illustrious career.
Simone Biles’ gesture to Rebeca Andrade
One of the highlights of the last artistic gymnastics events was Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade’s victory in the floor exercise. Andrade finished ahead of Biles, who took silver, and fellow American Jordan Chiles, who won bronze.
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During the medal ceremony, Biles and Chiles showed their respect for Andrade by bowing to her, recognizing her remarkable achievement. Andrade had already won two silver medals and a bronze at these Olympics.
Gold medalist Rebeca Andrade (C) of Team Brazil, silver medalist Simone Biles (L) of Team United States and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles (R) of Team United States celebrate on the podium. Naomi Baker/Getty Images
“I love Rebeca, she’s incredible,” Biles said, reflecting on her challenging day, which included a fall on the balance beam and two out-of-bounds errors in the floor exercise. “She’s so amazing, a queen. It was an all-Black podium, so it was very exciting for us. Jordan said, ‘Should we bow to her?’ and I said, ‘Of course,’ so we did,” Biles explained.
