NFL legend Tom Brady was left stunned by Team USA gymnastics legend Simone Biles at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Brady, 47, was inside the Bercy Arena Porte de La Chapelle Arena on Monday to watch Biles, as the 27-year-old contested two finals in the Balance Beam and Floor. Biles started the day with seven Olympic gold medals to her name, two shy of the all-time leading female Olympians, gymnast Larisa Latynina (9) and swimmer Katie Ledecky (9).
The American finished fifth in the Balance Beam event after a fall scuppered her medal hopes, with Chinese athlete Zhou Yaqin sandwiched between Italian gold medal winner Alice D'Amato, and her compatriot Manila Esposito. The floor was looking like Biles' best chance to add another gold medal to her impressive resume - but she was docked 0.6 points and finished .033 off winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil.
It was Biles' first loss in Floor competition in a major international competition. Nonetheless, Brady was left stunned by Biles' routine.
READ MORE: Simone Biles claims another Olympic medal but Team USA star loses barely-believable streak
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His jaw dropped and he let out an obvious "Wow," as the 11-time Olympic medalist flew through the air. And he shared his one-word reaction on social media, re-posting photos of his reaction and simply writing: "Insane" to describe what he'd seen.
Monday's action could likely be Biles' last in Olympic competition. Biles will be 31 by the time the 2028 Los Angeles Games come around and the gymnast has refused to commit to competition, or retiring. She already made an epic comeback after withdrawing from the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Her withdrawal from Tokyo with the "twisties," a dangerous gymnastics condition involving a temporary loss of spatial awareness, saw Biles open up on her mental health. "I started off with therapy this morning and I told her (the therapist) I was feeling calm and ready. And that’s exactly what happened," she said of her two-year break.
Also in the Floor event, Biles' compatriot Jordan Chiles joined her on the podium. Chiles went last and was originally scored in fifth - but a score review saw her be bumped up to third. The pair bowed down to Andrade in a stunning photo on the podium, a clear nod to the Brazilian's potential dominance of the sport should Biles decide to walk away.
Andrade won Brazil's first Floor Olympic gold medal. Reviewing her Balance Beam final, Biles admitted that the atmosphere was odd. “Today you could hear the ringtones going off, the photo clickers, whatever that was and you’re trying to stay in your zone and then the people start cheering and the shushing gets louder so they should be shushed because they’re louder," she said.
“I don’t know, it was really weird and awkward and we’d asked if we’ve could have some music or some background noise, so I’m not really sure what happened there. It’s not our favorite, none of us liked it. It was an odd beam final.”
"Today has been absolutely wild," she added. "I’ve been competing here for a week or so now, so obviously exhaustion sets in now but we still had to go out and compete one more time today and it’s such an honor to compete with these girls on the beam and floor.
"Obviously it wasn’t my best performances but on the day, whoever medalled, medalled, and that’s what is so exciting with gymnastics. I’m not upset about my performance or anything, I’m actually very happy, proud, and even more excited that it’s over!
"I’ve accomplished way more than my wildest dreams, not just at this Olympics but in the sport – I can’t be mad at my performances. A couple of years ago I didn’t think I’d be back at an Olympic games so competing and walking away with four medals, I’m not mad about it, I’m pretty proud of myself and it’s always so exciting to compete.”
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