Simone Biles continued her stellar performance at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Despite wowing the crowd with her vault routine, earning a 15.975—the highest score of the night—Biles faced a challenge on the balance beam.
The seven-time Olympic medalist, usually steady on the beam, had a shaky start with a significant wobble and a hop following her full-twisting double-back dismount.
Clearly displeased with her performance, Biles muttered a one-word expletive, “Fuck,” as she exited the mat, a moment captured on national television.
Her score for the routine was 13.650, over a point lower than her nationals score.
Biles finished fifth on the beam.
“She was very, very pissed,” her coach Laurent Landi commented, according to USA Today.
“I’m so upset about beam,” Biles told NBC afterward. “I’m really disappointed in myself because that’s not how I train. Going forward, I’m going to try to compete how I train on that event. Because I know I’m good at it. I know I can do better. So that’s what I’m going to work on.”
Despite the beam setback, Biles’ performances in the vault, floor routine, and uneven bars kept her firmly ahead of the competition.
With an overall score of 58.900, she holds a 2.5-point lead over the second-place competitor.
Biles will have another opportunity to perfect her beam routine on the final night of the U.S. Gymnastics Trials on Sunday, after which the final roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics will be announced.
