Multiple gymnasts, including Simone Biles and Suni Lee, were wobbly during the balance beam finals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Biles, 27, and Lee, 21, represented Team USA in the apparatus competition on Monday, August 5, each competing for the chance to earn another individual medal. Lee performed early in the rotation, appearing to lose her balance slightly on some choreography before splitting the beam and falling to the mat. She earned a final score of 13.100.
Brazil’s Júlia Soares and Romania’s Sabrina Voinea also struggled to stay steady before Biles hit the beam. She started strong but was ultimately unable to avoid a mishap. She earned the same score as her teammate Lee.
Team USA landed fifth and sixth in the final rankings. Italian gymnasts Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito took gold and bronze, with China’s Zhou Yaqin winning silver.
Despite the upset at Monday’s final, both Biles and Lee have impressed throughout the 2024 Games. They walked away from the team all-around with gold medals alongside fellow Team USA gymnasts Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles and Hezly Rivera before taking home individual medals. Biles earned gold in the vault competition, while Lee secured bronze in the uneven bars final. They placed first and third, respectively, in the individual all-around.
The Paris Olympics have been an opportunity for both Biles and Lee to make big comebacks in the sport following challenges with mental and physical health. Biles notably pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to a bout of the “twisties,” leaving the competition early. Lee, meanwhile, was diagnosed with two rare kidney diseases in 2023.
“Honestly just gonna look back and think about how I was able to persevere everything,” Lee told reporter Zora Stephenson after Monday’s finals, revealing that the arena felt “too quiet” during the competition, which added to the pressure. “I’m so sad about my beam routine, but it’s OK because … I gave it my all.”
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According to Lee, the final scores among the gymnasts “would’ve been really close” if there weren’t any mistakes because “everybody was so amazing” throughout the Paris Olympics.
Biles did not appear to speak with reporters following the beam competition, but she still has one more individual event before the closing ceremony. She and Chiles, 23, are set to compete in the floor exercise finals later on Monday.
After earning her 10th Olympic medal in Paris, Biles sent a strong message to those wondering whether she’ll be back for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
“You guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics,” she tweeted on Sunday, August 4. “Let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for.”
