Simone Biles 'hits out' at crowd after shock error costs Olympic medal
5 August 2024, 15:23 | Updated: 5 August 2024, 15:38
Simone Biles missed out on a fourth gold medal at the Paris Olympics as she fell from the balance beam on Monday.
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Biles missed out on the podium for the first time at Paris 2024 after she briefly lost her balance and had to step off the beam.
This saw the American superstar receive a score of just 13.100, meaning her Olympic journey ended with three golds and one silver.
Biles’ USA teammate Sunisa Lee suffered a more serious fall and, hitting out at the crowd, claimed athletes were subjected to “shushing” noises on the sidelines.
“You could feel the tension in the room. I mean, the crowd shushing us for cheering,' 21-year-old Lee said.
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“We did not like that, just because it's just so silent in there. I love hearing my teammates cheer for me.”
Biles, who finished joint fifth with Lee, was also left fuming but the crowd interference, she added.
“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.’”
Following her routine, Biles appeared to be seen asking her coach why the crowd had been shushing her.
“I feel like it was the pressure, the atmosphere,” Lee continued.
“It was really silent when you get up there. I could literally hear myself breathing.”
Despite her slip-up, Biles went on to win her fourth medal of the games later in the day, taking home silver in the women's floor final.
Last week, the legendary US gymnast won her second Olympic all-around crown and sixth Olympic gold medal in the women's all-around final.
Biles saw off competition from her teammate and previous Olympic all-around champion Lee to win gold.
With a points total of 59.131, Biles finished ahead of Rebeca Andrade in second and Sunisa Lee in third.
As her victory was announced, Biles embraced her teammate, with the pair parading around the arena with a USA flag.
