Paris: American gymnast Simone Biles didn't get the golden sendoff she sought. Biles earned silver in the floor exercise finals on Monday - her 11th Olympic medal - after a routine that included a couple of costly steps out of bounds. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade became the first gymnast to beat Biles in a floor final in a major international competition, posting a score of 14.
166 that finished just ahead of Biles at 14.133. Jordan Chiles, a longtime friend and teammate of Biles, earned the bronze.
The 27-year-old Biles, considered the greatest in the history of the sport, wasn’t at her usual best during a routine set to music from pop icons Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Still, she boosted her medal haul in Paris to four - gold in the team, all-around and vault finals and a silver that came as a surprise in her signature event. "I can’t be more proud of how I’ve done," Biles said.
"I’m 27 years old walking away from this Games with four medals to add to my collection. Not mad about it.” Biles' medal total (including seven gold, two silver, two bronze) ties Czechoslovakia’s Vera Caslavska for the second-most by a female gymnast in Olympic history.
She missed a chance to add a fifth Paris medal earlier Monday when she fell during the beam final, finishing fifth. Though she can make it look easy at times, it is not. She thudded to the mat during her floor warm-up and had the balky left calf she tweaked in qualifying last week re-wrapped before she competed.
Her tumbling passe.
