Simone Biles and Suni Lee’s Fall Cost Huge As 16-Year-Old Hezly Rivera Takes Lead in Balance Beam at US Gymnastics Trial

Simone Biles started strong, leading after Night 1 with an impressive 2.50 margin over her teammate Jordan Chiles at Minneapolis. Expectations were high for her performance in the finals, but the GOAT experienced a challenging moment. During Sunday’s competition that’s on 30th June, Biles, who had already struggled with her beam routine on Friday, unexpectedly fell off the beam midway through her routine. Biles’ beam routine started strong, but she came off on one of her easiest skills, a side aerial.

There were no visible outbursts this time, but her evident frustration was palpable. However, both Suni Lee and Biles, two of the best American beam workers, experienced falls from the beam today. This allowed 14-year-old Hezly Rivera, the Winter Cup balance beam champion and bronze medalist in all-around and floor exercise, to lead the 2024 beam competition with a score of 14.275. But wait Biles dreams ain’t over yet!!

If Biles performs well on the floor exercise, she will secure first place in the all-around and her spot in Paris. However, all three top all-around gymnasts have now suffered falls on the beam, including Jordan Chiles in the third rotation. This highlights Hezly Rivera’s strong case for an Olympic spot, boosted by her top scores tonight on beam and bars, with a total all-around score of 56.325. But can this impact Biles, Suni, or Chiles on their journey to Paris?

Who Will Join Simone Biles in Paris?

Simone Biles has secured her place on the Paris Olympic team, scoring a total of 117.225 across both days of competition. She becomes the first American female gymnast since Dominique Dawes to qualify for three Olympic teams, following Dawes’ historic achievement in 1992 as the first Black gymnast to qualify for the Olympics at her first trials. On the other hand, Jordan Chiles, initially looking strong for her second Olympics after a solid performance on Friday, faced setbacks with a fall on the beam.

The beam proved more critical for Chiles compared to Lee or Biles, who can offset one subpar routine with strengths in other events. Despite earlier challenges, Chiles regained momentum in the final rotation, delivering a stellar performance to Beyoncé and scoring 14.100 on the floor. Meanwhile, Jade Carey, the reigning Olympic gold medallist on floor, closed the trials impressively with a strong routine, scoring 14.150.

As of now, the Paris team includes Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee with 111.675, Jordan Chiles with 111.425, Jade Carey with 111.350, and Hezly Rivera with 111.150. However, the team can only have five members, leaving Jorcelyn Roberson, Leanne Wong, Tiana Sumanasekera, and Kaliya Lincoln just outside the selection. Well! With Biles securing her position back as GOAT, what are your thoughts on that? Comment below and let us know!