Simone Biles' Beam Bronze Proof That Perfection Isn't a Guarantee, Even for Her
Simone Biles put both hands on the balance beam Monday afternoon, and that one slip was enough to ruin her bid for five golds in Rio.
Biles had to settle for bronze. Her teammate Laurie Hernandez won silver, and Sanne Wevers of the Netherlands won gold.
Such is sports.
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Biles is no different than the greatest Olympians ever. Mistakes happen. And no event in any sport is as mistake-laden as the balance beam. It's only four inches wide, daring the world's best gymnasts to flip and land.
Most of us couldn't walk across the beam, attempt one jump straight up into the air and make it to the other side.
Biles' mistake by no means diminishes what she has already accomplished or her place as one of the greatest Olympians ever.
Yes, that's right. She's entered the conversation, and her fall could only strengthen her case.
Why so?
Biles will be 23 in four years when the Tokyo Games arrive, and by gymnastics standards, that's gray-hair status.
Those in her sport already consider her the greatest gymnast ever. Her three straight world championships and all-around gold in Rio solidified her place as the sport's GOAT. Had she gone five for five in golds in Rio, she could have felt satisfied and walked away.
But her one slip could motivate her to come back and chase five golds in Tokyo.
Biles told reporters earlier in these Olympics that she doesn't want to be Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt. She wants to be Simone Biles.
If she's chasing anyone, it's not the other gymnasts in her sport. It's those other legendary Olympians.
This is what we do with the greats. We measure them against other all-timers. Then we root for them to be perfect.
But perfection, even for legends, is incredibly tough to achieve.
Sometimes the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Sometimes the Wisconsin Badgers beat the Kentucky Wildcats in the Final Four. And sometimes, Simone Biles slips on one move on the balance beam.
Biles is about as close to perfection as you get. Her all-around excellence is amazing in a sport that would seem to reward specialty training. Master this apparatus and make it your thing.
The balance beam was where she was most vulnerable, but she has still proved over time to be better than anyone in the world at that apparatus, much like she is on the vault and the floor.
That is what sets her apart from everyone else in sports. She's Bolt if he ran the 400 and 800 in addition to the 100 and 200. She's Phelps if he was the best freestyler and backstroker in addition to his butterfly excellence. She's LeBron James if he had Stephen Curry's jumper.
It's the same kind of versatility that makes what Katie Ledecky did in these Olympics so amazing. You're not supposed to be able to dominate the long distances and win a race that's closer to a sprint (the 200 meters).
Bolt will be even more celebrated later this week if he's able to go nine for nine in gold medals, sweeping the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay in three straight Olympics.
But as amazing as he is, there's far more room for error in his sport than there is in gymnastics. He showed Sunday that he can get off to a poor start in a race and still win. Same for Phelps or Ledecky in the pool.
Once Biles put her hands on the beam, her chance at five golds was finished.
We will still remember these Olympics as the opportunity to see the greatest gymnast ever. And there's no need to qualify by gender or sport. Even if Biles ends up with a bronze and four golds, you can put her performance up against anyone.
And if anyone could come back in four years and be just as great, it's her. She doesn't appear to be peaking or declining. All that could have been lacking was motivation.
Even greats need something to drive them. For Phelps, his mishaps outside of the pool in his personal life gave him the necessary fuel.
For Biles, it could be "the slip."
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