Simone Biles Faced Unexpected Disappointment On The Final Day Of The Olympics

At the Paris Summer Olympics, Simone Biles encountered an unusual setback, missing out on gold for the first time in her Olympic career. During the individual beam final, Biles had a fall, which affected her chance to add to her impressive legacy. Italy’s Alice D’Amato took home the gold medal, with Zhou Yaqin from China and another Italian, Manila Esposito, rounding out the podium.

On the floor exercise, Biles performed well but had two landings that were out of bounds, leading to a close loss to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who won gold. Despite these challenges, Biles had already achieved gold in the team event, the individual all-around, and the vault, bringing her total Olympic medal count to 11.

Looking back on her career, Biles remarked, “I’ve achieved more than I ever imagined.” At 27, she became the oldest American gymnast to win Olympic gold. She also mentioned her surprise at returning to the Olympics and expressed pride in her accomplishments. Biles plans to pursue further success at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.