PARIS — Simone Biles didn’t win the floor exercise final at the 2024Paris Olympics on Monday, but she did take a bit of a parting shot at the judges.
In a moment that casual gymnastics viewers might have overlooked, Biles maintained her required salute for an unusually long period of time after she concluded her floor routine at Bercy Arena, keeping her hands in the air for several seconds, even as she walked toward the stairs to leave the floor. In both an attempt to avoid another deduction and, perhaps, to make a point.
At the beginning and end of every routine, gymnasts are required to salute the judges by holding up their hands. And in an unusual move, the judges at the Olympic balance beam final actually deducted three-tenths of a point from Biles’ score because, in their view, she did not salute for a long enough period of time.
‘Yes, she did (get deducted for that),’ her coach Cecile Landi confirmed when asked about it. ‘That’s why on floor she sure did not get deducted for it.’
Each gymnast is required ‘to present themselves in the proper manner (arm/s up) and thereby acknowledge the D1 judge at the commencement of her exercise and to acknowledge the same judge at the conclusion of her exercise,’ according to the current code of points published by the International Gymnastics Federation. Failing to do so can result in a 0.3-point deduction.
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Video footage of Biles’ dismount on the beam shows her raising her hands up very quickly as she walked off the mat, likely frustrated by her performance, which included a fall.
A reporter asked Landi if she thought the deduction, which is uncommonly applied in the sport, was reasonable.
‘We watched it. I could see it, yes and no,’ Landi said. ‘I think it’s a little harsh, but at the end, it didn’t matter. So no, we’re not going to make a big deal out of it.’
The fraction of a point that Biles, 27, lost would not have made a difference in her final place. She finished 0.833 points behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who placed fourth, and 0.9 points off the bronze medal, which went to Manila Esposito of Italy.
Even so, Biles clearly didn’t want it to happen again. So after her floor routine, she kept her hands raised in the air with a wide smile, both making her point and leaving nothing to chance.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.
