Paris 2024 Olympic Games Recap Day 10: Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles re-medal, as does US women’s 3×3 basketball

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If it were possible, Simone Biles (along with teammate Jordan Chiles) became even more legendary during Monday’s action in Paris, despite not winning a gold medal. The U.S. also won medals in track and field and women’s 3×3 basketball, while another men’s beach volleyball pair advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament. Unfortunately, Team USA suffered a surprising loss in the women’s event.

Here are the top five stories of the day:

Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles medal in floor exercise final

Team USA won two more medals in the women’s gymnastics final on Monday in the individual floor exercise. Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles both finished on the podium, but there were a few dramatic moments before Biles unexpectedly took silver and Chiles took bronze at the last minute.

Biles was surprisingly outdone by Brazilian gymnastics legend Rebeca Andrade. Biles’ routine was as high-flying as ever, but stepping out of bounds with both feet on her final tumbling pass (and a few other minor deductions) cost her the win. Andrade didn’t step out of bounds once in her high-difficulty routine, and that was the difference in the end. Andrade won gold with a 14.166, while Biles had to settle for silver with a 14.133.

As unexpected as Biles’ finish was, the biggest drama didn’t come from Andrade’s gold or Biles’ silver. It came from the bronze medal spot. Chiles, the last gymnast to perform, initially scored a 13.666, which put her in fourth place behind Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu’s 13.700.

But Chiles’ coaches filed a score review for one skill, the tour jete, immediately after her initial score was announced. They found she had performed the skill correctly and completely during her routine. After review, the judges improved her score by a whole tenth, giving her a 13.766 and a surprise bronze medal.

Team USA Women’s 3×3 Recovers for Bronze

Although Team USA’s 3×3 women’s team had a rough start to the Paris Olympics (three straight losses entering the pool stage), they were still able to end the Games on a high by winning the bronze medal with a 16-13 victory over Canada on Monday.

Earlier in the day, the team, consisting of Dearica Hamby, Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith, lost their semi-final against Spain in overtime, but managed to recover a few hours later and enter the battle for bronze.

“It was like a rollercoaster of emotions,” Burdick said after the game. “Obviously you’re really down after that game against Spain, and it took a lot of mental toughness to just kind of have short-term memory, bounce back and be able to get this win. So I’m thankful to go home with some hardware.”

US’s Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth miss women’s beach volleyball quarterfinals; Miles Partain and Andy Benesh advance

Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth will not join Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng in the women’s beach volleyball quarterfinals.

The American duo lost in straight sets to Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, 21-19, 21-18. Nuss and Kloth, who were ranked No. 2 in the world, came back from a 10-5 deficit in the second set but ultimately could not overcome Canada’s strong defense in a major upset.

The U.S. men also have a pair in the men’s quarterfinals. Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh advance to the knockout round after beating Italians Samuele Cottafava and Paolo Nicolai in straight sets, 21-17, 21-18. They controlled both sets from the start and built a five-point lead that Italy could not overcome.

Partain and Benesh advance to the quarterfinals after U.S. teammates Chase Budinger and Miles Evans lost in the round of 16 to Norsemen Anders Mol and Christian Sorum. The two have won two straight matches since parting ways with coach Mike Placek during the Olympic tournament.

Valarie Allman wins gold for US in discus throw

The United States continues to add to its medal haul in track and field. Valarie Allman won her second consecutive Summer Games gold in the discus throw, dominating the field with her throws. She only threw 70 meters, despite holding the American record at 71.46 meters.

She had enough to beat the competition, though. Her winning throw of 69.50 meters was almost two meters longer than the second place throw of China’s Bin Feng. Even her second best throw of 68.74 meters would have been enough to win.

Allman grew up wanting to be a dancer, excelling in ballet, tap, jazz and hip-hop. However, she was convinced to give discus a try in high school and embraced it over every other athletic event she tried. The decision paid off wonderfully.

With her first place in Paris, Allman became the fourth woman to win two Olympic gold medals in the discus throw, having previously won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Sam Kendricks bounces back from Tokyo disappointment

American pole vaulter Sam Kendricks won a silver medal on Monday, ending a period that began with disappointment but ended in triumph.

Kendricks was ruled out of the Tokyo Games after testing positive for COVID. He claims the test was a false positive because he had no symptoms. However, he was forced to quarantine instead of going to Tokyo.

The experience embittered Hendricks to the point that he initially felt he did not want to compete in Paris, even if he qualified. However, he changed his stance after his performance at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Hendricks cleared the first three heights Monday night without a miss, ultimately clearing 5.95 meters to earn a spot on the podium. He couldn’t catch Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, who cleared 6.25 meters for gold. But it was enough to finish second and earn some redemption after the heartbreaking event of 2021.

Team USA Medals

Highlight of the day

If Simone Biles was disappointed by a silver medal finish for Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, she and her American teammate Jordan Chiles certainly didn’t show it. Instead, the two celebrated their fellow competitor and rival on the podium.

Chiles and Biles bowed to Andrade, recognizing her achievement and continued greatness in their sport. It was a beautiful display of sportsmanship and respect.

“Rebeca is so amazing,” Biles said. “She’s a queen. … It was just the right thing to do.”

One more thing…

How iconic has Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikeç become? The silver medalist in the 10m air pistol mixed team competition became an internet sensation not only for his glasses, but also for a shooting pose with his left hand in his pocket that seemed the picture of cool.

Dikeç looked so cool that Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis imitated his pose after one of his jumps, winning a gold medal and setting a world record on Monday.

Unwittingly, Dikeç may have become the new Usain Bolt, whose bow-and-arrow pose became iconic after his gold medals in Beijing, London and Rio.