Italy’s Alice D’amato won the gold medal in the women’s balance beam final of the 2024 Paris Olympics gymnastics at the Stade Bercy on Monday.
Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images
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Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images
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PARIS — Monday’s Olympic final showed that the balance beam can trouble even the best gymnasts.
It’s probably the trickiest piece of equipment in women’s gymnastics. Athletes must cram as many skills as possible into the 90-second routine – back handsprings, spins, somersaults, hops and leaps, all on a machine only 4 inches wide.
American gymnast Simone Biles, perhaps the greatest athlete in gymnastics history, had a near-perfect performance at the Olympics. Before Monday, she had won gold medals in every event she entered.
But in the balance beam final, Biles’ flip layout mid-movement proved too unbalanced, and Biles slipped and fell to the mat. Ultimately, her time of 13.1 was not enough to win her a medal.
It was one of those days on the balance beam. Many other contestants in the final also fell or were seriously shaken. The gold medal was won by Italy’s Alice D’Amato, one of the few competitors who made no major mistakes in her performance. China’s Zhou Yaqin won the silver medal and Italy’s Manila Esposito won the bronze.
The balance beam final is the first of two events for Biles on Monday. She is the favorite to win the gold medal in the second event, the floor exercise, which will take place in about two hours.
U.S. gymnast Sunny Lee also competed in Monday’s balance beam final, but a serious fall during a routine also cost her a chance to win a medal.
Monday is Biles’ last day at the 2024 Olympics, and perhaps her final Olympics. She won 10 Olympic medals during her career, 7 of which were gold.
At 27, Biles is already older than most elite female gymnasts. Following Rebecca Andrade, 25, and Jordan Chiles, 23, none of the contestants competing against Biles on Monday are older than 21.
Biles has not said whether she plans to retire after the Olympics. On Sunday, she criticized reporters’ inquiries.
She wrote on social media site When asked what her next step is after Paris, Biles responded: “Take care of the medals.”)
