Gymnast Suni Lee Reveals WHY She & Simone Biles Fell Off Balance Beam | 2024 Olympics | E! News

Silence is Golden, Unless You’re a Gymnast: Lee and Biles Blame Quiet Arena for Falls

Paris, France – The 2024 Olympics have been a rollercoaster of emotions for Team USA gymnast Sunisa “Suni” Lee. After securing two bronze and one gold medal, her journey took an unexpected turn during the balance beam final. Lee, along with teammate Simone Biles, fell from the apparatus, a shocking turn of events for two of the world’s top gymnasts.

The culprit, according to Lee, was the eerily quiet arena. In a post-competition interview, she revealed,

“It was really silent when you get up there. I don’t like that, just because it gives me too much time to think and I can hear everything.” Lee added, “I like the cheering. I don’t like the silence. I don’t like it. I thrive off the crowd, so having the crowd’s energy, especially after you finish a routine, is really helpful.”

The quiet even caused Lee a moment of self-consciousness. “I could literally hear myself breathing and was more stressed about the fact that everybody could hear me breathing when I was up there,” she joked. This mix of stress and unusual silence seemed to disrupt the focus of multiple gymnasts, including Biles.

Echoing Lee’s sentiments, Biles told reporters, “Beam final is always the most stressful, but usually we have like music or background noise, whatever that may be. It was really weird and awkward, and we’ve asked several times if we could have some music or some background noise, so I’m not really sure what happened there, but yeah, not our favorite. None of us liked it. Yeah, it was an odd beam final.”

It’s clear that the gymnasts perform best in an environment with some level of noise, as it helps recreate the familiar atmosphere of training. While athletes from Italy and China managed to overcome the challenge and secure medals, the unexpected falls of Lee and Biles highlight the impact of even subtle changes in competition conditions.

Despite the disappointment, both gymnasts have maintained their sense of humor. Lee even joined in on the popular “didn’t make the Olympics cut” TikTok trend, sharing a video of her fall with the caption, “Unfortunately I was selected for the Olympics.”

While the unusual circumstances surrounding the balance beam final may have dampened the spirits of some, it’s a testament to the resilience and humor of these world-class athletes that they can still find ways to laugh and connect with their fans, even in the face of adversity.

Suni Lee and Simone Biles