Olympic gymnastics: Simone Biles misses gold medal, as Andrade take the title which just happened… astonishing!

 

What a surprising, stunning final day of gymnastics!

The moral of the story here: Take nothing for granted.

No one was surprised to see the USA and Biles take gold in the team and all-around. No one was surprised by seeing Lee, Chiles and Carey take medals. All told, they took eight of a possible 11 medals and three of a possible six golds.

 

 

But gymnasts are always a moment, an instant, an inch away from missing it. They have to be perfect, then perfect again.

So this day should serve as a reminder how astounding the big-time performers really are when they keep hitting their routines in the big time. Andrade did it every time, putting pressure on Biles throughout and finally breaking through in the floor exercise when Biles was four steps less than perfect in one of the most difficult routines anyone could ever do.

The reason they can’t afford any slip-ups is that there are a lot of really good gymnasts here. Italy is leaving today with two worthy medalists – Alice d’Amato and Manila Esposito on balance beam.

Some favorites also faltered in the men’s events, but China’s Zou Jingyuan and Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka came through.

Forget the medal count for a moment. This was breathtaking. And it ends with Rebeca Andrade, who has had the misfortune of being one of the greatest of all time while the greatest of all time is competing, stepping onto the top step of the podium while her US rivals and friends literally bow in her direction.

 

Bryan Armen Graham was there and has this report. Thanks for following along in the early hours in the USA or the whatever hours wherever you are.

Tears, tears, everywhere. Biles and Chiles are hugging, and Chiles is overcome. Chiles’ parents are hugging and high-fiving. Jade Carey’s jaw drops.

We’re not getting shot of the Romanian camp, who must have thought that even if the Maneca-Voinea inquiry changed nothing, they’d still get bronze thanks to Barbosu.

Chiles bumped up to bronze
NBC hasn’t caught it yet, but the results feed says Chiles has a 13.766. Bronze!

 

Romania might be furious about that.

Rebeca Andrade wins floor exercise; Simone Biles silver
NBC says there’s an inquiry on Maneca-Voinea’s score. Can’t say I blame them. But will Chiles render that irrelevant by getting, say, a 13.900?

NO! It’s a 13.666. The inquiry leaves the score unchanged, so Barbosu takes a surprising bronze.

BUT … there’s an asterisk by Chiles’ score. Another inquiry?

 

Big pass for Chiles … how did she land that? It looked underrotated, and she needed a small step forward.

But that might get onto the podium. It surely won’t catch Biles or Andrade.

The Olympic results page is going berserk on me. It looks like she got a 13.700, same as Barbosu.

And it’s confirmed. Difficulty was only 5.900. Execution was 7.900. There’s a penalty of 0.1. Barbosu edges Maneca-Voinea on tiebreak. That seems wrong. (And I doubt there’ll be an accusation of bias – they’re both Romanian.)

Hang on a minute … Romania’s Sabrina Maneca-Voinea is up, and she looks quite good. She also does the change-of-direction flip forward after an acrobatic pass. Her feet stay in.

Her scores have ranged from 13.566 to 13.800.

Will that move her into second with one gymnast to go? Could Biles … be knocked off the podium??

The Biles breakdown …

Biles says, “I think Rebeca got this one.” And she’s right … maybe, because we have two to go.

Biles smiles and gives her friend Andrade a hug.

The difficulty was 6.9. Her execution was 7.833. Then she had an 0.6 penalty.

 

 

One fewer foot out of bounds, and Biles has a grasp on gold.

Stepping with both feet out of bounds is an 0.30 deduction. She did it twice.

Deduct 0.6 from her qualifying score, and …

It’s a 14.133 … behind Andrade!

Fourth pass … again, she’s so amped up that she travels too far and steps out of bounds.

If I knew the code of points, I’d know how much those deductions are.

But her difficulty score will be immense, and she remained upright despite the calf injury.

 

Third pass … NAILS the landing, just inside the line.

One more pass between her and gold …

Second pass for Biles … big steps out of bounds. She has the cushion for that, but maybe no more.

Biles cracks a smile when introduced, as always. Here we go …

First pass … and she’s fine!

It’s a 13.600 for d’Amato, third behind Andrade and Barbosu.

Next up … Simone Biles. Oh boy. Will that calf hold?

Balance beam gold medalist Alice d’Amato (Italy) is up now. Her music starts out like someone is about to murdered in Game of Thrones. Then the drums kick in as she starts her acrobatic passes. She has one step out of bounds, and it doesn’t seem to be in the same difficulty range as Barbosu. But we shall see. She needs 13.166 for a tentative spot on the podium, bearing in mind that Biles, Maneca-Voinea and Chiles.

Over to Biles, who provides one of the quotes of the Games: “If one of these cameramen hits me one more time,” and then I think she said “we’re gonna have an issue.” We’ll need to replay that.

Do … not … cross … Simone Biles.

Barbosu is the first competitor here to do a flip and then immediately flip back the other direction. It’s impressive.

Biles is getting taped. Again.

She looks a little downcast. But she looked the same way in qualifying and pulled through. They show the warmup again, and it seemed she favored one leg on landing.

Would the adrenaline of a final appearance in these Games help her power through?

Barbosu passes Kishi with a 13.700, her best score in four attempts on the floor here.

Uh oh. Biles had an issue with her calf in qualifying but shook it off and posted big numbers. Now, in her warmup, she takes a fall. Is she OK this time?

Kishi’s score was posted during the break – 13.166, up to second.

Ana Barbosu (Romania) is up. I care less for this music. I think that’s the reason she stepped out of bounds.

I’m a musician (hobbyist, very occasionally paid) and not a gymnast, so I can judge the music better than I can judge the gymnastics. Rishi’s is awesome. But she may have stepped out after an acrobatic sequence, and she loses her footing on some simple steps and has to catch herself.

Forget the medals for a bit – floor exercise is just fun to watch. Rishi may pass Ou but won’t threaten Andrade, but she can be happy with that routine.

What a surprising, stunning final day of gymnastics!

The moral of the story here: Take nothing for granted.

No one was surprised to see the USA and Biles take gold in the team and all-around. No one was surprised by seeing Lee, Chiles and Carey take medals. All told, they took eight of a possible 11 medals and three of a possible six golds.

But gymnasts are always a moment, an instant, an inch away from missing it. They have to be perfect, then perfect again.

So this day should serve as a reminder how astounding the big-time performers really are when they keep hitting their routines in the big time. Andrade did it every time, putting pressure on Biles throughout and finally breaking through in the floor exercise when Biles was four steps less than perfect in one of the most difficult routines anyone could ever do.

The reason they can’t afford any slip-ups is that there are a lot of really good gymnasts here. Italy is leaving today with two worthy medalists – Alice d’Amato and Manila Esposito on balance beam.

Some favorites also faltered in the men’s events, but China’s Zou Jingyuan and Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka came through.

Forget the medal count for a moment. This was breathtaking. And it ends with Rebeca Andrade, who has had the misfortune of being one of the greatest of all time while the greatest of all time is competing, stepping onto the top step of the podium while her US rivals and friends literally bow in her direction.

Bryan Armen Graham was there and has this report. Thanks for following along in the early hours in the USA or the whatever hours wherever you are.

Simone Biles misses gold on floor as Andrade dazzles on final day of Olympic gymnastics

Tears, tears, everywhere. Biles and Chiles are hugging, and Chiles is overcome. Chiles’ parents are hugging and high-fiving. Jade Carey’s jaw drops.

We’re not getting shot of the Romanian camp, who must have thought that even if the Maneca-Voinea inquiry changed nothing, they’d still get bronze thanks to Barbosu.

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Chiles bumped up to bronze
NBC hasn’t caught it yet, but the results feed says Chiles has a 13.766. Bronze!

Romania might be furious about that.

Gold medallist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil celebrates on the podium with silver medallist Simone Biles of United States and bronze medallist Jordan Chiles of United States.

Gold medallist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil celebrates on the podium with silver medallist Simone Biles of United States and bronze medallist Jordan Chiles of United State.

Rebeca Andrade wins floor exercise; Simone Biles silver
NBC says there’s an inquiry on Maneca-Voinea’s score. Can’t say I blame them. But will Chiles render that irrelevant by getting, say, a 13.900?

NO! It’s a 13.666. The inquiry leaves the score unchanged, so Barbosu takes a surprising bronze.

BUT … there’s an asterisk by Chiles’ score. Another inquiry?

 

Big pass for Chiles … how did she land that? It looked underrotated, and she needed a small step forward.

But that might get onto the podium. It surely won’t catch Biles or Andrade.

Can Jordan Chiles get onto this podium? Her scores in qualifying and the team event would say yes.

Two acrobatic passes down – maybe a slight wobble on one, but not bad

The Olympic results page is going berserk on me. It looks like she got a 13.700, same as Barbosu.

And it’s confirmed. Difficulty was only 5.900. Execution was 7.900. There’s a penalty of 0.1. Barbosu edges Maneca-Voinea on tiebreak. That seems wrong. (And I doubt there’ll be an accusation of bias – they’re both Romanian.)

Hang on a minute … Romania’s Sabrina Maneca-Voinea is up, and she looks quite good. She also does the change-of-direction flip forward after an acrobatic pass. Her feet stay in.

Her scores have ranged from 13.566 to 13.800.

Will that move her into second with one gymnast to go? Could Biles … be knocked off the podium??

The Biles breakdown …

Biles says, “I think Rebeca got this one.” And she’s right … maybe, because we have two to go.

Biles smiles and gives her friend Andrade a hug.

The difficulty was 6.9. Her execution was 7.833. Then she had an 0.6 penalty.

One fewer foot out of bounds, and Biles has a grasp on gold.

Stepping with both feet out of bounds is an 0.30 deduction. She did it twice.

Deduct 0.6 from her qualifying score, and …

It’s a 14.133 … behind Andrade!

Fourth pass … again, she’s so amped up that she travels too far and steps out of bounds.

If I knew the code of points, I’d know how much those deductions are.

But her difficulty score will be immense, and she remained upright despite the calf injury.

Third pass … NAILS the landing, just inside the line.

One more pass between her and gold …

Simone Biles during the Artistic Gymnastic Women’s Floor Exercise Final.

Simone Biles during the Artistic Gymnastic Women’s Floor Exercise Final.

Second pass for Biles … big steps out of bounds. She has the cushion for that, but maybe no more.

Biles cracks a smile when introduced, as always. Here we go …

First pass … and she’s fine!

It’s a 13.600 for d’Amato, third behind Andrade and Barbosu.

Next up … Simone Biles. Oh boy. Will that calf hold?

Balance beam gold medalist Alice d’Amato (Italy) is up now. Her music starts out like someone is about to murdered in Game of Thrones. Then the drums kick in as she starts her acrobatic passes. She has one step out of bounds, and it doesn’t seem to be in the same difficulty range as Barbosu. But we shall see. She needs 13.166 for a tentative spot on the podium, bearing in mind that Biles, Maneca-Voinea and Chiles.

Over to Biles, who provides one of the quotes of the Games: “If one of these cameramen hits me one more time,” and then I think she said “we’re gonna have an issue.” We’ll need to replay that.

 

 

Do … not … cross … Simone Biles.

Barbosu is the first competitor here to do a flip and then immediately flip back the other direction. It’s impressive.

Biles is getting taped. Again.

She looks a little downcast. But she looked the same way in qualifying and pulled through. They show the warmup again, and it seemed she favored one leg on landing.

Would the adrenaline of a final appearance in these Games help her power through?

Barbosu passes Kishi with a 13.700, her best score in four attempts on the floor here.

Uh oh. Biles had an issue with her calf in qualifying but shook it off and posted big numbers. Now, in her warmup, she takes a fall. Is she OK this time?

Kishi’s score was posted during the break – 13.166, up to second.

Ana Barbosu (Romania) is up. I care less for this music. I think that’s the reason she stepped out of bounds.

I’m a musician (hobbyist, very occasionally paid) and not a gymnast, so I can judge the music better than I can judge the gymnastics. Rishi’s is awesome. But she may have stepped out after an acrobatic sequence, and she loses her footing on some simple steps and has to catch herself.

Forget the medals for a bit – floor exercise is just fun to watch. Rishi may pass Ou but won’t threaten Andrade, but she can be happy with that routine.

Ou will take a 13.000. No surprise.

Rina Kishi of Japan is just 16. Here she goes …

Ou’s scores have been all over the place in three attempts on the floor in Paris. A solid 13.666 in qualifying got her here. She slipped to 12.733 in the team event and had a disastrous 11.933 in the all-around.

This time may be in between. She steps out of bounds on her second acrobatic pass. The difficulty definitely isn’t in the Andrade range, let alone Biles.

It’s a pretty routine to watch, though, with enticing Chinese music. Maybe an outside shot at the podium?

Reminder: Andrade had a 13.900 in qualifying, a 14.200 in the team event and a 14.033 in the all-around. This should be comparable.

Biles applauds. She wants to see her Brazilian rival hit that routine.

Score is 14.166. And she puts on some glasses, like some US men’s gymnast apparently does …

China’s Ou Yushan is up.

Andrade goes straight into an acrobatic sequence with too many moves to adequately describe here. Her second pass is only slightly less dazzling. Both landings have been solid. Her third landing is also excellent.

A fourth pass, which not all gymnasts do, and it’s just as good, maybe with a slight step on her landing.

Biles is going to have an advantage on the difficulty score. But with what Andrade just did, Biles’ margin for error might not be that big. Andrade will surely medal, and the pressure will be on Biles to earn that gold.

Don’t change the channel. Rebeca Andrade is up next. She has two silver medals and a bronze in Paris. She may have deserved a medal on the beam, but to be fair, she did downgrade her difficulty.

That probably won’t happen here …

At long last, because the pacing of events at Bercy Arena is rather languid, it’s Manila Esposito of Italy.

She lands on her knees after her first acrobatic pass and doesn’t seem to be 100% after that. But she rebounds with a nice combination. Unfortunately, she takes several steps backwards and out of bounds on the third pass.

But Esposito will leave with a silver from the team event and bronze from the balance beam. Not bad at all.

 

For those obsessing over the medal count …

… which I really shouldn’t be doing because it can take the focus away from outstanding achievements, and the international insistence on focusing on gold rather than total devalues the awesome accomplishments of silver and bronze medalists. But anyway …

The gold medal count is now China 21, USA 19. Then a long drop to France with 12.

My projections, adding future events to the ones that have taken place, have the USA at 38.5 to China’s 35.

If Biles or Chiles wins, that projection only goes up to 38.75 because the USA are heavily favored here. If they don’t win, the projection drops to 37.75.

 

The USA will have several opportunities for gold the rest of the day – mixed team skeet, women’s discus, women’s 800m, women’s surfing. China’s best bet is the women’s team sprint in cycling.

Is this our last glimpse of Simone Biles at the Olympics?

We don’t know. She hasn’t ruled out a run at the 2028 Games. She could take time off and come back. Or she could keep seeking more world championship medals.

But just in case – watch this, either now or on a highlight reel later, and savor.

Lineup for the women’s floor exercise, the final gymnastics event in Paris …

“Artistic” gymnastics, anyway. We’ll still have rhythmic gymnastics.

 

Yes, nine gymnasts. They tied for eighth in qualifying.

Team event scores:
14.666 Biles, even with an 0.2 penalty
14.200 Andrade
13.966 Chiles
13.900 Maneca-Voinea
13.566 Barbosu
13.466 D’Amato
13.433 Kishi
12.733 Ou
12.666 Esposito

All-around scores:
15.066 Biles, nailing down gold with authority
14.033 Andrade, yes, second place was 1.033 back
13.566 Barbosu
13.500 D’Amato
13.233 Kishi
12.733 Esposito
11.933 Ou

You get the idea. Biles can make a mistake or two here and still win handily. Her difficulty score in the team event was 6.9. No one else tried anything above 5.9.

And this is a more forgiving event. No beam or bar from which to fall. Yes, things can go awry, as they did for Ou in the all-around. But this should be more predictable, with Biles and Andrade finishing 1-2 and Chiles battling the two Romanians for bronze.