- Simone Biles and Suni Lee were two of the four gymnasts who fell during the final
- The American gymnasts finished in fifth and sixth places, respectively
- Italy’s Alice D’Amato clinched the gold medal, followed by China’s Zhou Yaqin in silver
Many Olympic fans are questioning the unusual circumstances surrounding the balance beam final, where four of the eight competitors, including Simone Biles and Suni Lee, experienced falls during their performances.
Competing on the beam, which is positioned four feet above the ground, is notoriously challenging as athletes attempt to execute gravity-defying maneuvers while maintaining their balance.
On Monday, Biles missed her opportunity for a fourth Olympic gold medal in Paris after her fall during the final. Additionally, fellow American Suni Lee’s chances of winning a medal were dashed when she also lost her balance during her performance.
A clip circulating on social media has raised eyebrows, as all four athletes who fell seemed to lose their footing in a similar location on the beam.
‘It’s interesting that they all fell in the same area,’ noted one observer on X. Another commented, ‘So, the top gymnasts in the world all stumbled at exactly the same spot? Definitely not suspicious.’
Simone Biles was one of the four gymnasts to fall off the beam in a strange final on Monday
Her team-mate Suni Lee also saw her medal hopes dashed after falling from the plank during her routine
Some fans on social media have been convinced that something suspicious is at play after watching footage of the falls on social media
‘Someone has surely tampered with the beam,’ remarked another viewer. A different user humorously quipped, ‘Looks like witchcraft to me since there’s no way all of them fell at the same spot.’
Biles’ score took quite some time to be announced, eventually revealing a total of 13.100, which placed her outside the top three. Following the conclusion of the event, she referred to the ‘strange beam final’ and suggested that the atmosphere might have contributed to the mistakes.
‘The beam final is typically the most nerve-wracking,’ the 27-year-old stated. ‘Generally, we have music or some background noise that helps us perform better as it mimics practice settings.
‘When crowds cheer, the shushing that follows often gets loud, but they should be quiet since they are being louder. It felt really odd and uncomfortable.
‘We’ve asked numerous times for music or some form of background noise. I’m not really sure what happened today. None of us enjoyed it. Yes, it certainly was an unusual beam final.’
Eurosport commentator and former British gymnast Danusia Francis suggested that the equipment may have played a role in the incident.
The 27-year-old finished the competition in fifth and was unable to add to her medal haul
Some fans believe that the beam has been ‘tampered’ with, while one supporter joked that ‘witchcraft’ is at play
She remarked, ‘The beam felt abysmally slippery today. Perhaps they thought these girls were the best in the world, which is why they didn’t increase its size,’ she joked.
‘The equipment is made by Gymnova, which happens to be my least favorite as a gymnast. The competitors may all be accustomed to different brands during their training.’
Italy’s Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito took home the gold and bronze, while China’s Zhou Yaqin secured the silver.
