Sunisa Lee is not pleased with the crowd at the women’s balance beam final today. Lee, who has already won the Team gold and a couple of bronze medals in Paris, did not have a good outing today. Performing her routines, which usually come out flawless, Lee fell from the beam. And with that, her chances of securing yet another medal also went down the drain. Managing a score of 13.100, Suni Lee ended up in the sixth position, as Italian gymnast Alice D’AMATO clinched gold with a fabulous display of 14.366. China’s Yaqin ZHOU took the silver with 14.100, as another Italian, Manila ESPOSITO, rounded off the podium with a score of 14.100.

Soon after the event was over, Suni Lee was seen talking to the press. While expressing her feelings on the beam, Lee stated that the crowd was too silent today. Lee said, “I like the cheering, I don’t like the silence. Having the crowd’s energy after you finish a routine is really helpful. It was too quiet, I could hear myself breathing.” Lee also elaborated on how the ‘pressure of the atmosphere’ took a toll on her performance today. She once again reiterated that having such a silent crowd gives her room to think, which is a huge disadvantage while performing in high-profile events like the Olympics. 

Suni Lee’s discontent regarding the crowd’s silence was further documented in an X post by Gymnastics Now. An annoyed Lee further lashed out at the crowd, saying, “You could feel the tension in the room. I mean, the crowd shushing us for cheering. We are just not – we did not like that, just because it’s just so silent in there. I love hearing my teammates cheer for me… Me and Simone were like, ‘Why are they shushing?’ Like, we’re just trying to cheer. But yea, she came off, and she was like, ‘I don’t know why they were shushing in the middle of my routine.’” The complaint, although bizarre, might have some weight, as it was not only Suni Lee who suffered a setback on the beams today. 

Simone Biles suffers an uncharacteristic fall as Rebeca Andrade fails to secure podium

As a matter of fact, the top three favorites to win the event—Suni Lee, Simone Biles, and Rebeca Andrade—all had a lackluster outing. In the most shocking outcome of the evening, all-around gold medalist Biles had an unexpected dismount from the balance beams in the middle of her routine.

As a result, she was out of contention too and scored an identical 13.100 to Suni Lee. Next up, the Brazilian phenom Rebeca Andrade, too, did not seem to be in her element. Although she did not fall from the beam, Andrade’s score of 13.933 was much less than what the crowd had expected. 

Dissatisfied by her performance, Suni Lee seemed quite dejected. This was when she got the support of none other than Simone Biles. Biles quickly embraced Lee, and from her expressions, it was evident that the gymnastics GOAT was trying to cheer her up. Thus, with the crowd going inexplicably silent, Simone Biles and co. will hope to find a more jovial atmosphere when they come back for the floor finals in a few moments.