American gymnast Suni Lee suffered a disaster in her final event at the Olympics on Monday after flying off the balance beam in Paris.
Lee, who has already won two bronze medals at this summer’s Games, left fans heartbroken when her stunning routine suddenly went horribly wrong.
The 21-year-old was performing brilliantly at the time of her mistake, prompting a huge gasp from the Bercy Arena crowd as she crashed to the ground.
This meant Lee missed out on a medal in the balance beam final after receiving a score of 13.100, marking a disappointing end to her Olympics after back-to-back third-place finishes in the uneven bars and all-around events, as well as a gold medal in the team final.
Simone Biles could be seen comforting Lee as she tried to lift her teammate’s spirits before competing on beam herself.
Suni Lee suffered a disaster at the Olympics on Monday after falling off the balance beam.
Biles, who had already won three golds in Paris, also saw her routine go slightly awry when she briefly lost her balance, meaning she too missed out on a medal with the same score of 13.100.
This is the first time the 27-year-old has failed to make it onto the podium at this summer’s Olympics.
However, while Biles’ shortfall came as a surprise, fans were devastated for Lee after a sterling performance and potential shot at gold ended in disaster.
One wrote on social media: ‘It broke my heart to see Suni Lee fall right now.’
Another said: ‘That was going to be Suni Lee’s best performance on beam before she fell, it’s so heartbreaking.’
A third said: ‘The scream I just let out when Suni Lee fell off that beam.’
A fourth wrote: ‘Suni Lee NOO, off to a great start.’
Lee, who has already claimed two bronze medals at this summer’s Games, was performing brilliantly before her mistake.
The 21-year-old left fans heartbroken as she flew off the beam on Monday.
Her teammate Simone Biles was seen trying to lift her spirits after the unfortunate mishap.
Fans were devastated for Lee on social media after his latest event ended disastrously.
While one commented: ‘I fell half asleep and started crying when Suni Lee fell off the beam just now. Happy Monday!’
Lee was not too discouraged after failing to win another medal and insisted that he did the best he could.
“I’m really sad about my beam routine,” she told E. “But I gave it my all, so it’s okay.”
The youngster went on to suggest that the silence at the Bercy Arena may have contributed to her mistake, admitting that she does not like competing when the atmosphere is so tense.
“I feel like it was the pressure, the atmosphere,” he continued. “It was very quiet when you got there.”
‘I could literally hear myself breathing.’
The balance beam proved to be a frustrating event for Team USA as a whole, and Biles suffered her first disappointment of the Paris Games so far.
Biles also had to step off the beam after losing her balance midway through her routine, meaning she also lost a medal.
The 10-time Olympic medalist had to step off the beam after losing her balance midway through her routine, before she finally earned her score of 13.100 after a long wait.
Italy’s Alice D’Amato and Manila Esposito took gold and bronze respectively, while China’s Zhou Yaqin won silver.
Biles will have an immediate chance to make amends for her mistake when she competes in the floor final later Monday, though Lee’s Olympics are now over as she will not be competing in that event.
