"Simone Biles and Suni Lee do not fall easily"; "No one was safe today" - Fans aghast as American duo fail to medal at balance beam in Paris Olympics

By Pritha Ghosh

Modified Aug 05, 2024 14:13 GMT

All American eyes were on Simone Biles and Suni Lee as they took the stage at Bercy Arena, aiming to win medals in the balance beam at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, both suffered nasty falls and fans have since shared their reactions to the disappointing outcome.

Alice D’Amato of Italy won the gold with a score of 14.366. Zhou Yaqin of China took silver with 14.100 while another Italian Manila Esposito earned the bronze with 14.100. Biles and Lee both scored 13.100, finishing in fifth and sixth places, respectively.

Notably, it wasn't only Biles and Lee who had trouble with the beam. Zhou also faltered, as did Brazil's Julia Soares and Romania's Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.

It was heartbreak for the American duo. Lee aimed to add a fourth medal to her tally in Paris, having already won gold in the team finals and bronze in both the all-around and uneven bars. Meanwhile, her older compatriot missed her chance to tie Larisa Latynina’s record for the most Olympic gold medals by a female gymnast.

Fans have now taken to X (formerly Twitter) to express their heartbreak over the unexpected falls of Simone Biles and Suni Lee. One user called for an examination of the beam, writing:

"4 out of 7 competitors came off that beam. They need to examine it. Lee and Biles do not fall that easily."

"No one was safe on that beam today but props to the Italians for their gold and bronze - Forza," another wrote.

One account posted:

"I have never ever seen Simone Biles fall off beam in any international competition... oh my god.... you can tell there is sth in the air cause every gymnast today has either fallen off or had a huge adjustment."

"When gymnasts including Simone Biles fall off the beam, you seriously have to question the beam itself #OlympicGames," one fan commented.

"They gotta say what happened to that beam. Someone is not being honest! I’m still upset about this morning!!!" another tweeted.

One user chipped in:

"Fully convinced they sabotaged the beam."

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Simone Biles and Suni Lee both "annoyed" after failing to win medals in balance beam at Paris Olympics 2024

Simone Biles and Suni Lee pictured together (Source: Getty)

Suni Lee told reporters that she and Simone Biles were both "annoyed" with the outcome of their disappointing balance beam performances at the 2024 Paris Olympics, feeling they deserved better.

"We were both just kind of annoyed just because we know what we’re capable of," Lee said.

While Lee is no longer in contention for another medal in Paris, Biles still has a shot. She will compete in the floor exercise, where she is widely considered one of the strongest contenders.

The 21-year-old wished her compatriot good luck for the event, where Jordan Chiles is also competing, saying:

"We weren’t able to get it done today, but she still has floor and she’s the Goat, so she’ll be amazing."

Biles has already secured three golds at the Summer Games this year, winning in the team finals, all-around, and vault.