Today were her last two finals, the chance to add two more golds in these Paris Games. But the balance beam betrayed Simone Biles, who stumbled and ended up in fifth place in the event, and in the floor final, where she had always been the queen, she was surpassed this time by Brazilian Rebeca Andrade, the only rival who has pushed her to the limit in these Games.
Both Biles and Andrade had missed the podium in the beam, but on the floor, a smiling Andrade, the second to perform, delivered a flawless routine, nailing every twist. It was evident that she was enjoying herself. She scored a 14.166, slightly above Biles' 14.133, who stepped out of bounds in two of her diagonals. The bronze went to American Jordan Chiles, with 13.766.
The competition between the two rivals and friends, who met at the Rio Games, has been intense in these Games. In the individual competition last Thursday, which crowns the best gymnast, 27-year-old Biles won gold and 25-year-old Andrade took silver.
However, it was a close call, and Biles herself said after the event: "I think Rebeca pushes me to give my best. She is a phenomenal athlete and gymnast. I'm glad she's here to push me," she said.
Biles thus misses the opportunity to finish these Paris Games with two more golds, but she takes home three golds and a silver.
The beam event was chaotic, with almost all athletes stumbling on the beam, and only those who didn't were rewarded. Biles was the second to last to perform, having already seen most of her competitors slip on the beam. Midway through her routine, during one of the twists, her legs faltered, she couldn't maintain balance, and fell to the mat. The thousands of spectators at the Arena Bercy sighed. Biles got back on the beam, amidst applause from the audience.
The American gymnast grimaced as she awaited the score, which took a while. She knew that the gold had slipped away, but she didn't expect to be off the podium. The judges gave her a score of 13.100, unusual for the star accustomed in these games to almost hitting 15.000.
The podium was unexpected, leaving the favorites out. Italian Alice D'Amato won gold with the highest score, 14.366. The silver went to China's Zhou Yaquin, with 14.100, and the bronze to Italy's Manila Esposito (14.000). This marks Italy's first gold on the beam. The favorites for the gold were Biles and Brazilian Rebeca Andrade. Andrade didn't stumble, but the judges gave her a score of 13.933, placing her fourth.
Today marks the last artistic gymnastics events. In these Games, Simone Biles has achieved three golds, one from the team event, one from the individual all-around, and one from the vault.
She solidifies her position as the best gymnast, with only Rebeca Andrade at her level. Both have a similar trajectory: humble origins, similar ages, and a lifetime dedicated to gymnastics.
She also confirms her redemption after having to withdraw from the Tokyo Games due to mental health issues. The balance beam, which played a trick on her today, was the only apparatus where Biles won a medal (bronze) back then, before withdrawing.
She has seven golds (three in Paris plus the four from Rio) and is close to the record of the Soviet Larissa Latynina, who won nine between 1956 and 1964. Swimmer Katie Ledecky joined this podium last Saturday.