Simone Biles entered the balance beam final hoping to earn gold on the apparatus for the first time in her Olympic career.
Instead, Biles failed to medal on it for the first time in her three Olympic appearances.
Biles was one of many who suffered a fall in the eight-woman balance beam final. Hers came as she was attempting her acrobatic series. She landed her first flip but quickly got off-balance.
That resulted in her being forced to jump off the beam and reset, ending her chances of medaling on what is arguably gymnastics' toughest routine.
Biles wasn't the only USA gymnast to fall. Her counterpart Suni Lee also couldn't stay on the apparatus, ensuring the Americans would not medal on the balance beam for the first time since 2000.
Here's what to know about Biles' fall, score and her Olympic history in the event.
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Simone Biles balance beam fall
Biles' fall occurred during her biggest acrobatic series of the event. She was attempting to land three consecutive backflips while maneuvering across the beam, but she was a little off on her execution.
Biles seemed to be rushing through the moves and quickly ended up off-balance. She ended up getting crooked as she completed her second flip and was unable to attempt her third, bailing out of her layout step to jump off the beam.
Biles immediately looked disappointed. She got back on the beam and finished the routine, but the fall did enough damage to her score to prevent her from medaling.
Simone Biles finishes strong in the balance beam final. #ParisOlympics
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 5, 2024
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While Biles was disappointed with herself, NBC commentator Laurie Hernandez praised Biles for making the right move and jumping off the beam.
"Going for that last layout would have literally been a safety hazard," Hernandez said.
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Simone Biles' balance beam score
Biles scored a 13.100 on the balance beam. That was tied for fifth in the field with her teammate, Suni Lee, and 1.266 points lower than the score of gold medalist Alice D'Amato.
It's worth noting that Biles' original score was a 13.400, but she was given a 0.3-point deduction for failing to salute the judges following her routine. That deduction didn't make a difference in the medal race — Biles was 0.9 points behind bronze medalist Manila Esposito — but it was still a noteworthy penalty.
Biles' overall score was also 1.633 points lower than the score she posted in qualifying, which was good for the second-best in the field. Had she posted a similar number Monday, she would have won the competition easily.
But the balance beam is a fickle apparatus, and the dreaded "beam curse" took out more than just Biles during the event finals. Lee, Julia Soares and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea all found themselves off the beam at least once during their routines; and Maneca-Voinea, who finished last with a score of 11.733, fell twice during her performance.
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Simone Biles' balance beam history
The balance beam is one of two apparatuses on which Biles has never won Olympic gold. She earned bronze medals on the beam in both Rio and Tokyo but was hoping to improve upon that result in Paris.
Biles instead failed to medal on the beam, ending her bid for a perfect Olympics.
That said, Biles is still enjoying a stellar Olympics. She previously earned gold in the team competition, all-around and vault finals to start the event. Next up will be her last event — the floor exercises — at which she will be granted a chance to bounce back.
The floor is arguably Biles' best discipline, so she has a good chance to add a fourth medal to her coffers before she and her USA teammates prepare to finish up in Paris.
