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PARIS — On what was supposed to be (likely) her Olympic finale, Simone Biles finally showed her age. At least a little.
The 27-year-old, the oldest American female gymnast to compete at the Olympics since the 1950s, fell off the beam in that event final and then couldn’t overcome what appeared to be tightness in her back and soreness in her left calf in the floor final.
She still won silver in the floor, a tremendous result for anyone, but a significant upset in an event that she has dominated for years.
Even with a massive, full-point degree of difficulty advantage, Biles couldn’t overcome stepping out of bounds twice. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won gold with a score of 14.166. Biles finished with a 14.133, dragged down by 0.600 in penalties and an uncharacteristic 7.833 in execution.
American Jordan Chiles won bronze (13.766).
In the warm-ups of the floor routine, Biles came up clutching her back after a tumbling run. Doctors looked at the back and rewrapped her left calf — treatment for left calf soreness that has plagued her throughout these Olympics.
In what is likely her final Olympic performance, the sellout, again celebrity-rich crowd in Bercy Arena stood and rained thunderous applause and “U-S-A! U-S-A!” chants down on her, regardless of the medal position.
This wasn’t just a celebration, but an appreciation for how Biles had pushed the sport forward over the last decade plus.
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