• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

2

The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns

3

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living

1

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI

2

The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns

3

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living

An Unexpected Winner in Olympics Beam Final as Biles Slips to Bronze

By
Brian Cazeneuve
Brian Cazeneuve
,
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
, and
Michelle Toh
Michelle Toh
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Brian Cazeneuve
Brian Cazeneuve
,
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
, and
Michelle Toh
Michelle Toh
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 15, 2016, 11:38 PM ET
GYMNASTICS-OLY-2016-RIO-PODIUM
Gold medallist Netherlands' Sanne Wevers poses on the podium of the women's balance beam event final of the Artistic Gymnastics at the Olympic Arena during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on August 15, 2016. / AFP / Thomas COEX (Photo credit should read THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images)THOMAS COEX/ AFP/ Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

This article originally appeared on SI.com.

Monday’s gymnastics apparatus finals revealed that Simone Biles is, in fact, human, Laurie Hernandez is a star-in-waiting, and the balance beam, gymnastics’ answer to mother nature, can spoil any of the best laid plans.

Biles’s gold-medal run paused at three on Monday, though she captured her fourth Olympic medal, taking bronze on the beam after nearly toppling off. Teammate Hernandez performed a strong, clean routine, good enough to pull in a silver, and Dutchwoman Sanne Wevers won gold with routine that stood out with a sharp contrast in styles to the others.

See also: How U.S. Women Gymnasts Became the World’s Best

Aside from the stumble, Biles was otherwise clean on her routine, executing an acrobatic sequence—flip-flop, layout, layout—with no problem. Then, when executing a front tucked somersault, an element that is usually a snap for her, she landed low, caught her heel and appeared set to come off the beam. She grabbed it with both hands to keep herself aboard, but still took a major deduction similar to a fall. Biles finished with a high difficulty score, 6.5, but still took third because of lower execution.

“I’m mad at myself,” Biles said. “It was still a good routine. I still got a medal, but it isn’t a skill I usually mess up.”

In fact, Biles has rarely messed up anything during a brilliant competition that brought her golds in the team competition, all-around and vault on three different days. She became just the second woman since 1960 to win golds in all three phases of the same Olympic gymnastics competition. She will compete in the floor exercise final, along with teammate Aly Raisman, on Tuesday and will enter as the prohibitive favorite.

See also: U.S. Gymnast Simone Biles Adds Third Gold to Rio Haul

“Simone is also a human being like all of us,” said U.S. program director Martha Karolyi. “We like to say she’s super human. She can make a mistake, too, especially on the beam, which is the most unforgiving of any mistake that you make. It might be one slight lack of concentration over a long week with many routines and that one second is enough.”

Hernandez’s performance was a sort of coming out party for her on the international scene. The bubbly 16-year old finished second to Biles at the U.S. trials, but was kept out of the all-around earlier this week because only four of the five U.S. gymnasts could compete in qualifying on bars. Biles and Raisman were sure to be two of them, as was bars specialist Madison Kocian. Gabby Douglas was picked to the team mainly for her ability to do bars. That left Hernandez as a spectator for the all-around competition.

But on beam, she showed off the spunk and confidence that has earned her a devoted following in the sport in a short time. She was fearless during her acrobatic series, landed her dismount and waited to see if her more dynamic routine would outscore Wevers’s more elegant one. In the end, the judges awarded Wevers 15.466 to 15.333 for Hernandez. Biles was a distant third with 14.733.

See also: This University’s Athletes Are Dominating the U.S. Olympic Team

“I don’t ever really think of falling off,” Hernandez says. “You can do the same skills on a floor, right?” Hernandez’s teammates often tease her because she instinctively walks along curbs, about the same four-inch width as the balance beam even when they walk along wide streets. “I don’t even know I’m doing it,” she says. “It’s a funny habit I’ve had.” There was no reason to break this one.

Now Hernandez is done in Rio, but she certainly has her best gymnastics ahead of her. Along with 16-year-old Ragan Smith, one of the alternates on the Rio team, she will be primed to lead the next generation of gymnasts should Biles choose to retire, a decision that is up in the air. Either way, Karolyi, who has announced her retirement after the Rio Games, sounded confident about Hernandez’s future.

See also: What Michael Phelps Could Do After Retirement

“Laurie has proven a lot in her first year as a senior,” Karolyi said. “Can you do it on the world stage? Now we know the answer is yes, and that is very exciting.”

Wevers was an unexpected winner. Ten years after making her first appearance at the European Championships, the 24-year-old Dutchwoman performed a routine that was short on acrobatic skills, but big on pirouettes, a skill that Wevers is known for. She pulled off a triple turn without a hint of hesitation early in the routine and later added a turn that reversed fields and headed back in the other direction.

She and her twin sister, Lieke, a teammate on the Dutch squad for several years, are known as for the particular attribute that earned Sanne a silver medal at worlds last year and a gold medal in Rio. At the European Games in Baku last summer, it was Lieke who walked away with the title.

See also: Usain Bolt Still the World’s Fastest Man After Winning Men’s 100m

“It’s many years hoping for one great moment,” Sanne said. “I am still in disbelief. I am still shaking.”

In two other events on Tuesday, North Korea’s Ri Se-gwang won the vault competition and Greece’s Eleftherios Petrounias, took the rings event. Both gymnasts entered their specialty events as defending world champions. No U.S. gymnasts qualified for the eight-man final on either apparatus.

About the Authors
By Brian Cazeneuve
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Sports Illustrated
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Michelle Toh
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

t
CommentaryParenting
Babylist CEO: The Trump Accounts gold rush is overlooking moms
By Natalie GordonJuly 6, 2026
2 hours ago
SoFi vs. Sallie Mae student loans
Personal Financestudent loans and debt
SoFi vs. Sallie Mae student loans
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 6, 2026
3 hours ago
Trump rings opening bell for Trump Accounts as Treasury commits $1.4 billion in seed money
Personal FinanceDonald Trump
Trump rings opening bell for Trump Accounts as Treasury commits $1.4 billion in seed money
By Catherina GioinoJuly 6, 2026
3 hours ago
e
CommentaryCorporate Governance
SpaceX’s supervoting shares put a decades-old governance debate back in play
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianJuly 6, 2026
4 hours ago
Exclusive: Xbox’s CEO on 3,200 layoffs, four studios cut, and her blunt warning that ‘we spread ourselves too thin’
Big TechMicrosoft
Exclusive: Xbox’s CEO on 3,200 layoffs, four studios cut, and her blunt warning that ‘we spread ourselves too thin’
By Sebastian HerreraJuly 6, 2026
4 hours ago
The yen is quietly crashing as Japan’s debt crisis bleeds into currency markets, and efforts to halt the slide are ‘doomed to fail,’ economist says
EconomyCurrency
The yen is quietly crashing as Japan’s debt crisis bleeds into currency markets, and efforts to halt the slide are ‘doomed to fail,’ economist says
By Jason MaJuly 6, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
AI
Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary says if he were 25 today, he'd chase these two booming opportunities in the world of AI
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 5, 2026
1 day ago
The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns
Investing
The stock market is about to suffer a 'snapback' and will lose much of this year's gains as 'speculation is hitting extreme levels,' BofA warns
By Jason MaJuly 5, 2026
1 day ago
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
Success
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
By Preston ForeJuly 4, 2026
3 days ago
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
Law
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
4 days ago
Gen Z was 'jaded about employment before we ever entered the workforce'—now psychologists say the stare has hardened into something worse
Economy
Gen Z was 'jaded about employment before we ever entered the workforce'—now psychologists say the stare has hardened into something worse
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 6, 2026
14 hours ago
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
AI
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 3, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.