Simone Biles wins often, but not always

Exceptional gymnast Simone Biles flew to Paris with the ambitious goal of winning five gold medals and becoming the most successful Olympian in the history of the Games. If she had achieved her best, the 27-year-old superstar would have been able to position herself on a par with swimmer Katie Ledecky and gymnast Larissa Latynina with a total of nine titles.

Well, this mission was not entirely successful because Monday was not only unfavorable on the world’s stock markets. We’re left with seven gold medals. For now.

Biles is undoubtedly the best, but not unbeatable. Especially on the uneven bars, where she is not a fan. But in the balance beam and floor disciplines, the three-time Paris winner (all-around, team and vault) started as the clear favorite to tear the 20,000 fans in the Bercy Arena to their feet. Things turned out very differently.

“She’s really pissed off”

In the meantime, there was an awkward silence – garnished with a few expressions of surprise (“Oh”, “Ah”) when the scores came out and Biles didn’t get a one. “You can tell she’s really annoyed,” said Eurosport expert Fabian Hambüchen, assessing the “icon’s” body language.

The “shaky beam” threw the 1.42 meter tall athlete violently during a backflip, and the bottom line was fifth place, while 21-year-old Alice D’Amato from Genoa – unexpectedly – brought Italy its first ever Olympic gold in women’s gymnastics. Well deserved, because she was almost flawless.

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