Simone Biles suffered a shocking defeat in the floor exercise final at the Paris Olympics after two errors allowed Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade to snatch an unexpected gold medal.
Biles had to settle for a silver, while her American teammate Jordan Chiles claimed bronze.
Their podium finish went viral after Biles and Chiles heaped praise on Andrade and bowed to their new “queen”.
“First, it was an all-black podium which was super exciting for us,” Biles said when asked about the moment afterwards.
“But then Jordan was like ‘should we bow to her?’ and I was like ‘absolutely’.”
Biles was heavily favoured coming into the final given the difficulty of her high-flying routine but landed with two feet out of bounds on two of her four tumbling passes.
She paid a heavy price for those mistakes as the deductions she incurred denied her what would have been her fourth gold medal of these Games.
Andrade claimed the top prize for producing a near flawless, albeit less difficult, routine which was rewarded with a 14.166 from the judges.
Biles’s routine got off to a promising start when she nailed her triple twisting double back but the power she generates during the tumbling sequences left her completely stepping out of bounds on her next attempt.
She again found herself out of the marked area on her final pass, with the errors automatically incurring her a deduction of six tenths of a point.
It left her anxiously looking up at the scoreboard and when her mark of 14.133 flashed up, she found her name below Andrade’s on the standings.
She lost the gold medal by just 0.033 of a point.
The final day of the artistic gymnastics program did not end the way Biles would have wanted as she also suffered disappointment in the balance beam final, finishing fifth after slipping off that apparatus.
But Biles had no regrets when reflecting on her performance afterwards.
“I’ve accomplished way more than my wildest dreams – not just at this Olympics, but in this sport,” she said.
“So I can’t be mad at my performances. A couple years ago I didn’t think I would be back here at an Olympic Games so, competing and then walking away with four medals.”
Biles had already won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics for her performances in the team and vault events, as well as winning the all-round title for the second time.
“I’m not mad about it,” Biles said after the floor final.
“I’m pretty proud of myself and it’s always so exciting to compete.”
Olympics essentials
Despite the less-than-ideal finale, the Paris Games still marks a triumphant comeback for the 27-year-old Biles.
She withdrew from the Tokyo Games three years ago suffering with a mental block known as the “twisties” — a temporary loss of spatial awareness experienced by some gymnasts when completing high-difficulty elements.
Her withdrawal caused concern among her vast fan base about whether she would ever set foot on the Olympic stage again as Biles took a two-year break from the sport.
She returned healthy, happy and as dominant as ever as she qualified for her third Games and has not ruled out competing at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
When asked earlier this week about competing at the next Olympics, Biles said: “Never say never.”
She added: “The next Olympics is at home. So you just never know.”
After the floor final, Biles stressed the importance of taking care of one’s mental health.
“Putting your mental health first and taking time for yourself, whether you’re in sports or not, it creates longevity,” she said.
“In sports specifically but also just for a better, healthier lifestyle.
Biles was also full of praise for gold medallist Andrade.
“She’s an amazing person and an even better gymnast – I cant say enough good things about her,” Biles said.
“She keeps me on my toes, she makes me want to perform better, she’s very, very talented.
“I see the longevity in the sport for her […] so I’m excited to see what’s next for her to accomplish.”
ABC/Reuters
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