BOMBSHELL: SIMONE BILES Announces Great Lost
Simone Biles’ coach opens up after Paris misstep in high-stakes all-around battle: “I thought I was gonna vomit”
The tension was palpable when Simone Biles came agonizingly close to derailing her gold medal dreams at the 2024 Paris all-around gymnastics final. The gymnastics legend faltered on the uneven bars-widely known as her weakest apparatus-and for a moment, the packed Bercy Arena collectively held its breath, fearing the worst.
Biles had dubbed this competition her “redemption tour,” aiming to reclaim her all-around title after eight years. The pressure was on, and everything seemed to be in order during the first rotation, where she nailed her vault routine.
But the uneven bars nearly cost her everything, and even her coach, Cecile Landi, couldn’t hide how nerve-wracking the situation had become.
“I thought I was gonna vomit; I’m not gonna lie,” Landi confessed in the Netflix docu-series Simone Biles Rising Part 2, shortly after Biles stuck her next routine on the beam. “It was hard to do after that bar routine, so very good.”
The rough road back to the top
During the uneven bars routine, the gymnastics GOAT rushed her transition from the Pak Salto, resulting in a bent knee. Though she managed to avoid hitting the ground and secured her dismount, the judges awarded her a mere 13.733-a score that put her title hopes in jeopardy.
Fans knew that one more slip could cost her the gold, and the air in the arena was thick with tension. But Biles, ever the queen of comebacks, rebounded in spectacular fashion.
She delivered a flawless beam routine next, earning 14.466 and putting herself back in medal contention, just behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade. As Biles sipped water after her beam routine, the stadium erupted in relief and applause-proof that she wasn’t done yet.
In the end, Biles battled her way through the remaining rotations, finishing with a total score of 59.131 to claim her second all-around gold in eight years. But her redemption arc wasn’t without stumbles
Landi never stopped supporting her
During the balance beam final, the very apparatus that saved her earlier ended up costing her a medal when she fell, scoring just 13.100 and placing fifth. She also made costly errors in the floor routine, which forced her to settle for silver behind Andrade.
Despite the ups and downs, Cecile Landi remained unwavering in her support. “There were two big mistakes on the second and final jumps [on the floor], and she lost 0.600 points, which cost her the Olympic title,” Landi said. “I think there’s a little disappointment, but with a silver and three golds, we can return home proud.”
Landi also shed light on Biles’ struggles toward the end, revealing that fatigue took a toll. “She wanted to give it her all, but she was a little tired. The control she normally has on landings just wasn’t there.”
With four medals-three golds and a silver-Biles’ Paris journey was anything but smooth. But her resilience, even in the face of setbacks, proved that the GOAT’s legacy is as much about grit as it is about gold.
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