Gymnast Simone Biles wins silver to wrap what might be her final Olympic Games (2024)

Gymnast Simone Biles wins silver to wrap what might be her final Olympic Games (1)

American Simone Biles celebrates at the end of her floor exercise individual event final on Monday at the Paris Olympics. Biles finished in second to win a silver medal and her fourth overall medal of the Games. Her teammate, Jordan Chiles, took the bronze. Naomi Baker/Getty Images hide caption

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Naomi Baker/Getty Images

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PARIS — After 90 seconds of backflips and handsprings and twists, Simone Biles walked off the floor exercise mat to greet a crowd of competitors and coaches alike, all offering their celebration for what might have been the last Olympic routine of Biles' sterling career.

Biles' run at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games ended Monday with a silver medal in the floor exercise final. Her four medals (three gold and the silver) in this Olympics have cemented her legacy as the greatest gymnast in U.S. history, and perhaps — as her diamond-encrusted goat necklace suggests — the greatest of all time.

Biles, who is 27, has won seven Olympic gold medals and 11 Olympic medals overall, a total tied for the second most ever won by a gymnast. Coupled with 30 World Championship medals, she is the most decorated gymnast of all time.

And her performance at this Olympics is an emphatic exclamation point on her turnaround from the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where she suddenly lost her way in the air in the gymnastics version of the yips called "the twisties." Rather than risk injury, Biles withdrew from several events and ultimately took two years off from gymnastics altogether. At times, she thought she would never compete again.

2024 Paris Olympics

Simone Biles and Team USA reclaim Olympic gold in women's all-around gymnastics final

Instead, Biles made her return to competitive gymnastics in 2023. Since then, she has looked dominant. In Paris, she helped propel the U.S. to a blowout win in the team event, then staged a comeback in the individual all-around to earn gold by more than a point. On Saturday, she won the gold medal in the vault final after performing the most difficult vault in women's gymnastics, which is named after her.

On Monday, even after a day in which she missed the podium in one event and settled for silver in another, Biles said she was satisfied with her performance in Paris. "I've accomplished way more than my wildest dreams, not just at this Olympics but in the sport," she said. "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."

Biles had been near flawless in this Olympic Games. Before Monday, she had won the gold medal in every event she entered.

But on the last day of artistic gymnastics competition, slips and falls beset competitors throughout the events held at Paris' Bercy Arena. In the women's balance beam final and the men's horizontal bar final, the podiums were populated by the gymnasts who were able to get through their routines without mistake. In the floor exercise, several competitors fell or accidentally stepped out of bounds.

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Biles was not immune. In the balance beam final, a flip layout midway through her routine proved too off-kilter, and Biles slipped and fell to the mat. Ultimately, her score of 13.1 was not enough to earn her a medal. Italy's Alice D'Amato took the gold. China's Zhou Yaqin won silver, followed by Italy's Manila Esposito with bronze.

"Balance beam is such an unforgiving, uncertain event. Mistakes happen all the time," Zhou said afterward. "I think the falters, falls, stumbles are because of the high pressure and the nature of balance beam." The U.S. gymnast Suni Lee also participated in Monday's beam final, but a bad fall during her routine doomed her chances too at a medal.

The sizable crowd was quiet, and at times spectators shushed the gymnasts as they tried to cheer on their competitors. "We didn't like that, because it was just so silent in there," Lee said. "When I was up there, you could probably hear me breathing. It adds to the stress."

Another factor: The Olympics is a long and grueling competition. By Monday, gymnasts had been competing for more than a week. Biles, who participated in all but one possible event, performed an Olympics-high 17 routines throughout the competition. "I've been out on that floor so many times competing, so obviously exhaustion and all of that sets in," she said.

Gymnast Simone Biles wins silver to wrap what might be her final Olympic Games (5)

Gold medalist Rebeca Andrade (center) of Brazil along with silver medalist Simone Biles (left) and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles (right) of the U.S. celebrate on the podium at the women's gymnastics floor exercise medal ceremony on Monday at Bercy Arena in Paris. Elsa/Getty Images hide caption

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Elsa/Getty Images

The floor exercise gold medal went to Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, who won by just 0.033 after Biles was docked six-tenths of a point for twice stepping out of bounds. U.S gymnast Jordan Chiles won bronze.

"I'm not very upset or anything about my performance at the Olympics. I'm actually very happy, proud and even more excited that it's over," Biles said afterward.

2024 Paris Olympics

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Now that her time at the Paris Olympics has come to a close, the question of her future has started to simmer. At 27, Biles is already older than most elite female gymnasts. After the 25-year-old Rebeca Andrade and 23-year-old Jordan Chiles, no competitor who faced Biles on Monday was older than 21. Most were still in their teens.

Biles has not said whether she intends to retire from gymnastics now that her Olympic run has ended. On Sunday, she chastised journalists for inquiring.

"You guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics," she wrote on the social media site X. "Let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for." (When one user asked what her next step would be after Paris, Biles replied: "babysitting the medal.")

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Gymnast Simone Biles wins silver to wrap what might be her final Olympic Games (2024)

FAQs

What events did Simone Biles win in the Olympics? ›

That's what she did, going from team gold to all-around gold to vault gold in back-to-back-to-back finals. Sure, she celebrated: raising one finger in triumph after the team final and running onto the floor U.S. flag in hand with bronze medallist Suni Lee in the all-around final.

Why did Simone Biles get a silver medal? ›

After a fall on the balance beam led to a fifth-place finish, Biles won a silver medal on the floor exercise. With gold medals in the all-around, team and vault competitions, plus the silver medal on the floor exercise, the 27-year-old leaves Paris with four more Olympic medals.

What did Simone Biles have that made her drop out of the Olympics? ›

Biles, the sports' most dominant athlete, withdrew from several events in Tokyo three years ago due to mental health concerns and a condition known as the twisties. Biles has made a significant comeback since.

What is one thing Simone Biles did that was important? ›

In team finals, Biles helped the United States win the women's team all-around title for the third straight time and she became the first woman to win three consecutive all-around titles in World Gymnastics Championships history.

What gold medals did Simone Biles win in the 2024 Olympics? ›

Simone Biles becomes most decorated American gymnast

Following a disappointing Tokyo Olympics, Biles was back and legitimately better than ever in Paris. The 27-year-old Texas native won three golds (team, all-around, vault) and a silver (floor exercise), setting a number of records along the way.

How is Simone Biles doing in the Olympics in 2024? ›

Monday (5 August) at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, she had help from two of her friends: Brazilian Rebeca Andrade and teammate Jordan Chiles. Andrade, Biles and Chiles captured gold, silver and bronze in the women's floor final. It was the first Olympic gymnastics podium with three Black women.

What did Simone Biles suffer from at the Olympics? ›

Biles in Tokyo three years ago developed “The Twisties,” which is a sudden loss of air awareness during a routine. For her own safety, she pulled out of several events and started a dialogue on the mental health struggles of elite athletes.

Who dropped out of the Olympics in 2024? ›

Shericka Jackson withdraws from women's 200m heats at Paris 2024 Olympics. Shericka Jackson pulled out of the women's 200m at Paris 2024 just moments before the heats got under way as Gabrielle Thomas and Julien Alfred safely made the semi-finals.

Did Simone Biles get married? ›

Here, we share all the photos and details from Simone Biles' weddings in the US and Mexico. Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens got married on April 22, 2023, at a courthouse in Houston, Texas. Less than one month later, Simone Biles' second wedding took place on May 6, 2023, in Cabo, Mexico.

Who is Simone Biles for kids? ›

Simone Biles is a U.S. gymnast. Her power and ability allowed her to perform skills that no other female gymnast had completed before. Biles holds many U.S. and world records, and she has 11 Olympic medals. She is considered one of the greatest gymnasts to ever compete.

What level was Simone Biles at age 14? ›

2011–12: Junior elite

Biles began her elite gymnastics career at age 14 on July 1, 2011, at the 2011 American Classic in Houston. She placed third all-around, first on vault and balance beam, fourth on floor exercise, and eighth on uneven bars.

What is Simone Biles' full name? ›

Simone Arianne Biles. Born March 14, 1997, Simone Arianne Biles has boundless energy, natural strength and fierce determination, taking those God-given talents to become the greatest gymnast of all time.

How old was Simone Biles when she won a gold medal? ›

At the age of 16, Biles became the seventh American woman and the first African American to win the world all-around title.

How many medals did Simone get in Paris? ›

All eyes were on Biles as she won four medals, but the spotlight was bright enough to highlight new names, new faces and some unlikely new stars.

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