Italian gymnast Alice D’Amato seized the gold medal with a score of 14.366, celebrating enthusiastically after the competition.
Surprisingly, out of the eight gymnasts in the final, four fell from the beam.
The silver medal went to China’s Zhu Yaqin with 14.100 points, and Italy’s Manila Esposito took the bronze with 14.000 points. Zhu lost her balance and had to grab the beam to steady herself, making an error on one of the easier elements of a very challenging routine.
Biles, who received a score of 13.100 after her fall, ended up in fifth place. She appeared visibly upset by the result.
Li, the Tokyo Olympic champion in vault, also fell from the beam during a demanding routine and landed on the beam before falling to the floor. This was her last chance to win another medal in these Olympics, as she did not qualify for the floor exercise. The Games have been particularly challenging for Li following a diagnosis of two kidney diseases less than two years ago. She had previously helped the U.S. win gold in the team competition and won bronze in the all-around and uneven bars.
Floor Exercise Final Awaited
On Monday afternoon, the final event for women’s gymnastics is expected, with Simone Biles aiming for her fourth medal of these Olympics in the floor exercise.
The Olympic champion has already won three gold medals in Paris—team all-around, individual all-around, and vault—bringing her total Olympic medal count to ten.
Following her struggles in Tokyo, which led to her withdrawal, Biles has made a remarkable comeback in Paris, cementing her status as the greatest gymnast of all time.
The 27-year-old has expressed a desire to compete in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 but acknowledged that training for another four years would be challenging both physically and mentally.