Simone Biles fell short in her quest to make even more history at the Paris Olympics. Having won three gold medals at this year’s Olympics, she missed out on a podium spot in the individual beam final after she lost her balance and fell off the apparatus. However, it was not only her slip that may have contributed to the outcome as she was penalized after completing her routine.

Biles finished with a score of 13.100 on the balance beam falling 0.9 points away from a bronze-medal finish. But apart from her fall which contributed to her first non-podium finish in Paris, Biles incurred 0.3 points deduction for not saluting the judges following her routine.

According to the rules not saluting the judges after the routine results in a neutral deduction. Although it appears Biles did hold up her hands in salute, it was for a very short time, which may have led to the deduction.

Her fall in such a critical situation meant she could not add another gold to her collection of medals in Paris. She had to wait a long time until the score was finally posted. At one stage, with an exasperated look on her face, Biles rolled her eyes and knew that she wouldn’t be finishing anywhere near the victory platform. Her coach Cecile Landi was asked about the deduction and whether it was reasonable. 

Landi said, “We watched it. I could see it, yes and no. I think it’s a little harsh, but at the end, it didn’t matter. So no, we’re not going to make a big deal out of it.” In the end, the deduction wouldn’t have made a difference as Biles finished fourth.

Additionally, Zhou Yaqin of China earned a 14.100 to take silver, just ahead of bronze medalist Manila Esposito of Italy. Alice D’Amato of Italy took gold with a score of 14.366. However, like Biles, her teammate, Sunisa Lee, also faced a major setback as she fell from the beam.

Despite this setback, Biles has already won gold in the team competition, all-around, and vault. But failure to do so in the balance beam meant she couldn’t get closer to Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina’s record for the most Olympic gold medals at nine.

Biles has completed her redemption tour in some style. With her success in Paris, she has taken her Olympic gold medal tally to seven. She also became the first woman to win two Olympic all-around titles since Czechoslovak gymnast Vera Caslavska in 1964 and 1968, after her success in Rio 2016. Meanwhile, Biles subtly threw shade at the judges following her silver medal performance in the women’s floor exercise event.

She put up an incredible performance but landing out of bounds twice, cost Biles. It resulted in her losing six-tenths of a point, which brought her score down to 14.133 and she finished behind gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who scored 14.166. However, what followed was fans getting to see a cheeky side of Biles.

After she was done with her routine, Biles held her salute all the way until she stepped off the mat. Her husband, Jonathan Owens seemed to suggest Biles was throwing shade at the judges with her prolonged salute.

Owens tweeted, “Making sure they don’t miss it this time!!!!!  I love you so much baby, so proud.” Speaking her Olympic journey came to an end Biles sounded upbeat, despite not ending with another gold medal. She said,

“I accomplished way more than my wildest dreams – not just at this Olympics, but in this sport,” Biles told reporters afterward. “So I can’t be mad at my performances. A couple years ago, I didn’t think I’d be back here at an Olympic Games, so competing and then walking away with four medals, I’m not mad about it. I’m pretty proud of myself.”

The silver in floor exercise meant Biles took four medals from Paris. Still, with seven gold medals to her name, she remains short of swimmer Katie Ledecky and Larisa Latynina who are the only two women to ever win nine Olympic gold medals. Biles may yet achieve that if she competes in LA 2028.

But her story is remarkable nonetheless, given how her last Olympics ended in a harsh manner.

Simone Biles’ redemption tour, from Tokyo to Paris

After a tough Tokyo 2020, where she pulled out of most events to focus on her mental health, Biles sought redemption. It began with a stunning show at the 2023 World Championships where she won four gold medals.

Then this year, she won Core Hydration Classic and followed it up with her ninth national title at the U.S. Championship. Next up, were the US Olympic trials.

“Our Tokyo performances weren’t the best. We weren’t under the best circumstances either,” she said at the U.S. trials. “But, I feel like we have a lot of weight on our shoulders to go out there and prove that we’re better athletes, we’re more mature, we’re smarter, we’re more consistent.” Biles secured her Paris spot with a strong showing at the U.S. trials, scoring 117.225.

In Paris, she started by helping Team USA to a fourth Olympic gold medal. She competed in all apparatus for the final and notched up a score of 14.900 on vault courtesy of the Yurchenko double pike. Team USA finished with  171.296 points to clinch gold. Next, she clinched the individual all-around gold medal on August 1, besting her rival Rebeca Andrade. Despite trailing at the halfway stage, Biles put on a show in the final routine on the floor, finishing with a score of 59.131 to take the top spot.

Biles then hit a gravity-defying Yurchenko double pike during the vault final to win her third gold medal in Paris. In her first attempt, she earned a score of 15.700 and followed it up with 14.900 in her second effort. This gave her an average score of 15.300 points, comfortably ahead of Andrade’s 14.966.

With a silver medal to end her campaign, this has been a remarkable turnaround by Biles, who once believed she would never compete again following the event of Tokyo.