Simone Biles caps Paris Olympics 'Redemption Tour' with one last medal — silver in floor routine

PARIS (AP) — The “Redemption Tour” did not end with a golden encore for Simone Biles.

By the time she entered Bercy Arena for the beam and floor exercise finals on Monday, she was drained. Mentally. Physically. All of it.

It's what this event does. What this sport does.

No one knows that better than the 27-year-old who has spent the last decade relentlessly propelling gymnastics — both competitively and culturally — forward.

So when Biles hopped off balance beam to miss out on one medal, then stepped out of bounds twice during her floor routine to finish second in her signature event for the first time in memory, she shrugged.

Gymnastics happens. Even to the greats. Even to the GOAT.

The woman who didn't think she'd even be here a couple of years ago will leave Paris — and perhaps her final Olympics — with three golds and a silver and something perhaps even more valuable: peace.

“I accomplished way more than my wildest dreams, not just at this Olympics, but in the sport,” the 11-time Olympic medalist said. “So I can’t be mad at the performances. ... Competing then walking away with four medals. I’m not mad about it.”

Biles certainly didn’t look mad during the awards ceremony after the floor exercise — the first one of her career at a major competition that ended with her looking up at someone else.

Instead, she and good friend and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles bowed to Rebeca Andrade, the Brazilian who has spent the last three years as the best gymnast in the world not named Biles.

“It was just the right thing to do,” Biles said. "She’s queen.”

Then the three Black women posed together on the podium four days after Biles, Andrade and Sunisa Lee, who is Hmong-American, stood in the same spot following the all-around. Their collective success is symbolic of a sport that is becoming more diverse and more inclusive at the highest level, led by someone who still describes herself as “Simone Biles from Spring, Texas who flips.”

For a long time, the flipping is what separated Biles from everyone else. Her routines are packed with so much difficultly that a wobble here or a step out of bounds there ultimately hasn't mattered.

It did in what could be the final routine of her career. Bothered perhaps by a left calf injury she aggravated during qualifying last week, Biles wasn’t at her best during a 75-second set that features music from pop icons Taylor Swift and Beyonce and the hardest tumbling passes ever done by a woman.

Twice at the end of the passes that feature elements bearing her name in the sport's Code of Points, her feet landed on blue boundary, costing her valuable tenths and creating just enough room for Andrade's score of 14.166 to stand.

When a 14.133 and the No. 2 — indicating she was still in second — flashed next to Biles' name, a packed arena that included NFL icon Tom Brady let out an “ooohhhhh” of surprise.

Biles was not one of them.

“I’m not very upset or anything about my performance at the Olympics,” she said. “I'm happy, proud and even more excited that it’s over.”

Whether it's fully over, she's not saying. Though Chiles may have offered a hint as they talked to reporters afterward, with Chiles leaning over and saying under her breath “I'm going to miss you man.”

So will gymnastics. The Olympics too.

Biles' 11 career medals at the Games (seven gold, two silver, two bronze) ties Czechoslovakia’s Vera Caslavska for the second-most by a female gymnast in Olympic history.

A chance at making it a dozen ended earlier Monday when Biles fell during the beam final, finishing fifth. She was hardly the only one. Four of the finalists came off during their routines, which were done in a quiet arena that is typically a wall of sound during competition.

Not this time after the International Gymnastics Federation had the in-house DJ hit pause during event finals, which Biles said made it “really weird and awkward."

The silence and intermittent shushing didn't bother Italy's Alice D'Amato, who finished off a breakout Games for the Italians — silver medalists in the team compeition — by putting together a steady set that seemed immune to the pressure or the moment. Zhou Yaqin of China earned silver with a 14.100, just ahead of bronze medalist Manila Esposito of Italy.

Biles praised D'Amato and Esposito for providing “building blocks" that she believes will help inspire young girls in Italy to take up the sport.

It's something Biles has done during her long stay in the spotlight. She's in no hurry to make any decision on if it's time to let someone else step forward.

She offered “never say never” when asked over the weekend if the Los Angeles Games in 2028 are a possibility.

She will be 31 then, an age when most gymnasts have long since retired. Yet considering the gap that still exists between herself and nearly everyone else in the sport — save for Andrade, who pushed Biles as hard as she’s been pushed — anything is possible.

That is for later. For now, there is merely appreciation. The critics that pounced after Tokyo have gone quiet. So have whatever inner demons remained.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better Olympic Games, a better support system,” she said. “Thank you Paris.”

__

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Simone Biles (391), of the United States, greets Rebeca Andrade, of Brazil, after competing during the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Jordan Chiles, of the United States, and Simone Biles, of the United States, celebrate after the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals in Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. Biles won the silver medal and Chiles the bronze medal. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Simone Biles, of the United States, competes during the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Simone Biles, of the United States, competes during the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Simone Biles (391), of the United States, speaks to coaches after bobbling while warming up before her routine in the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Simone Biles, of the United States, competes during the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Simone Biles, of the United States, competes during the women's artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Tom Brady watches the end of the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals with his daughter Vivian in Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Alice D'Amato, of Italy, celebrates after winning the gold medal during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Alice D'Amato, right, of Italy, celebrates after winning the gold medal with a big from Simone Biles during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Simone Biles, of the United States, prepares to compete during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Suni Lee, of the United States, pauses after falling during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Suni Lee, of the United States, competes during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Suni Lee, of the United States, bobbles and falls during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Simone Biles, of the United States, reacts after falling while competing during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Simone Biles, of the United States, prepares to compete during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Alice D'Amato, of Italy, competes during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

In this photo made with a slow exposure, Simone Biles, of the United States, warms up during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Simone Biles, of the United States, pauses after falling during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Simone Biles, of the United States, falls on the beam during the women's artistic gymnastics individual balance beam finals in Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorized its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them.

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded almost simultaneously Tuesday across Lebanon and in parts of Syria, killing at least nine people, government and Hezbollah officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. The Israeli military declined to comment.

Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Here's the latest:

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says four soldiers were killed in southern Gaza and five others were wounded, with three of them in serious condition.

The deaths on Tuesday came nearly a year into the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The army did not describe the circumstances, but Israeli media reported that the soldiers were killed by a hidden bomb that exploded inside a building.

One of the four, Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, an army paramedic, was the first female soldier to have been killed in combat in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

Hamas and other armed groups remain active across the territory despite months of heavy Israeli bombardment and ground operations that have destroyed vast areas and displaced most of the population.

Israel says 346 of its soldiers have been killed since the start of ground operations last October. The military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorized its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them.

Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near-simultaneously Tuesday in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding more than 2,000. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack.

The AR-924 pagers used by the militants were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary’s capital, according to a statement released Wednesday by Gold Apollo.

“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorize BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” the statement read.

Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists Wednesday that his company has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years, but did not provide evidence of the contract.

The AR-924 pager, advertised as being “rugged,” contains a rechargeable lithium battery, according to specifications once advertised on Gold Apollo’s website before it was apparently taken down Tuesday after the sabotage attack. It could receive text messages of up to 100 characters and claimed to have up to 85 days of battery life. That’s something that would be crucial in Lebanon, where electricity outages have been common as the tiny nation on the Mediterranean Sea has faced years of economic collapse. Pagers also run on a different wireless network than mobile phones, making them more resilient in emergencies — one of the reasons why many hospitals worldwide still rely on them.

FILE - Israeli soldiers move next to destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

Civil Defense first-responders carry a man who was wounded after his handheld pager exploded, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.(AP Photo)

People gather outside the American University hospital after the arrival of several people who were wounded by exploding handheld pagers, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Palestinians in Lebanon wave their national flags during a protest in front of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather around an ambulance carrying wounded people whose handheld pager exploded, at the emergency entrance of the American University hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

The supermoon rises behind the houses in Mas'ade, a village in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

A Lebanese Red Cross volunteer collects blood donations for those who were injured by their exploded handheld pagers, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, at a Red Cross center in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)