An unusually quiet arena may have impacted the balance beam final for Simone Biles, Suni Lee and several other event finalists on Monday at the Paris Olympics. Inside Bercy Arena, where no music was played, and some fans hushed others for making noise, multiple athletes experienced uncharacteristic falls during their routines.
Biles, Lee, Brazil’s Julia Soares and Romania’s Sabrina Maneca-Voinea all faltered in their performances, while Italy’s Alice D’Amato barely wobbled on her way to secure the gold medal. The atmosphere in the arena was different from typical competitions, where background noise and music provide a constant auditory backdrop that helps gymnasts focus.
“It was really weird and awkward,” Biles, who finished fifth behind Lee, said, as reported by Will Graves of The Associated Press. “We’ve asked several times if we can have some music or some background noise. I’m not really sure what happened there, but yeah, not our favorite. None of us liked it.”
The International Gymnastics Federation's senior communications manager, Meike Behrensen, said that the decision was “part of the sport presentation plan at Paris 2024.” Typically, a consistent level of noise exists during meets, serving as background noise that many athletes prefer.
Simone Biles, Suni Lee both falter in beam routines
During the Paris Games, music was played during the qualifying rounds, team finals and all-around finals for both men and women. However, the atmosphere shifted during the individual event finals, where the music was noticeably absent.
While some in the crowd, which included NFL great Tom Brady, offered vocal support during the routines, many others attempted to maintain silence, creating an atmosphere that was described as a golf tournament rather than an Olympic gymnastics final.
Lee, who also slipped during her acrobatic series, echoed Biles' sentiments about the unusual atmosphere.
“The pressure was definitely on,” Lee said. “I don’t know if you could tell, but a lot of people were definitely feeling it. I think it was the crowd but also just knowing that we’re so close to being done and just adding that extra stress of wanting to end it off the right way.”
The 21-year-old six-time Olympic medalist even joked that she wondered if the photographers just a few feet away could hear her breathing.
“It adds to the stress, just because it’s like you, yes, you’re the only one up there,” Lee said. “So I was feeling the pressure.”
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