How Simone Biles further cemented her legacy with Olympic brilliance.
It was not a golden sweep for Simone Biles in Paris. Not even a medal sweep.
The superstar gymnast from Springs, Texas, still told a story of perseverance and restoration with her performance at the 2024 Olympic Games.
She also personified the trials and tribulations of pursuing greatness by adding four more medals — three gold — to her legacy over the last eight days.
It’s to be seen whether Biles intends to compete in a fourth Olympics
It’s to be seen whether Biles intends to compete in a fourth Olympics, in 2028 in Los Angeles, but the 27-year-old did make a decisive statement when asked what there was left for her to do.
“Nothing, relax,” she quipped with a smile on Peacock’s broadcast after securing a silver medal in one of her final two events Monday to give her 11 on her career.
The 4-foot-8 tumbler — who had won the individual all-around title and helped the U.S. win the women’s team title at these Games — fell during her beam routine in her first event of the day to miss the podium for the first time at Bercy Arena.
Finishing with a score of 13.100, Biles lost out on her chance to tie Russian Larisa Latynina’s all-time Olympic gold medal record by a female gymnast.
Biles was the fourth gymnast to fall off the beam Monday
Biles was the fourth gymnast to fall off the beam Monday, a trend that seemingly stressed each athlete as it happened more and more.
Fellow American Suni Lee, who was outspoken about her desire to win beam, also slipped off to relegate her to the same score as Biles to tie for fifth place.
“I’m so sad about my beam routine,” Lee said afterward. “But I gave it my all, so that’s OK.”
To cap her time in Paris, however, Biles bounced back to the podium with a silver-medal finish in the floor final.
