USA gymnastics star Simone Biles, along with several other athletes, kept falling off the beam inside Bercy Arena, Paris, on Monday.
Why Simone Biles & Others Kept Falling Off Beam at Olympics.
The American missed out on her fourth Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024 after she fell off during the balance beam final. Biles failed to make it onto the podium for the first time this summer due to losing her footing. As a result, the 27-year-old received a disappointing score of 13.100.
Biles’ USA teammate, Suni Lee, also suffered a tough fall when she came flying off the beam at the end of her routine. Brazil’s Julia Soares and Romania’s Sabrina Maneca-Voinea also fell off during their routines.
In the end, Italy’s Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito took gold and bronze respectively, while China’s Zhou Yaqin won silver. The reason as to why many athletes fell during their routine has now been revealed.
Athletes Blamed the Tense Atmosphere for the Errors
Some fans hushed others for making noise
An unusually quiet arena may have played a factor during the balance beam final for Biles and Lee as well as a few of the other finalists.
Throughout the final, there was no music played, and some fans were quick to hush others for making noise while the athletes were up.
Typically, there is a wall of sound at all times during these types of events that can often serve as background noise to the athletes – who have learned to make nothing of it and tune it out.
The atmosphere changed during the individual event finals when the music has been turned off while the athletes are performing their routines. It’s arguably more noticeable on the beam, a four-inch wide piece of wood 4 feet off the ground that requires incredible concentration. While a select few were keen to offer their support, many also told others to stay quiet, resulting in a quiet arena.
Lee claims athletes were subjected to ‘shushing’ noises on the sidelines with the crowd urging them to be quiet. “You could feel the tension in the room. I mean, the crowd shushing us for cheering,” she said.
We did not like that, just because it’s just so silent in there. I love hearing my teammates cheer for me.”
She continued: “I feel like it was the pressure, the atmosphere. It was really silent when you get up there. I could literally hear myself breathing.”
Simone Biles Appeared to Hit Out at the Crowd
The USA star appeared frustrated following her routine
Simone Biles
Lee then recalled Biles being livid after her routine came to an end: “Me and Simone were like, “Why are they shushing?” Like, we’re just trying to cheer.
“But yeah, [Biles] came off and she was like, “I don’t know why they were shushing in the middle of my routine.”‘
When the television cameras cut to Biles after the routine, the American appeared to be asking her coach why fans were shushing in the venue.
Biles missed out on the opportunity to win her fourth medal of this summer’s Olympics as she could only manage a silver medal on the floor on Monday afternoon, having injured her leg in the warm-up. The American, who has become the USA’s most decorated gymnast of all time in Paris by taking her overall Olympics medal tally to 10, has already won team, all-around and vault titles over the last week.
