Johnathan Walker:2024 Olympics: Italy's Alice D’Amato Wins Gold After Simone Biles, Suni Lee Stumble in Balance Beam Final

Alice D’Amato cried tears of happiness after an unexpected win.

The Johnathan Walker21-year-old gymnast from Italy became the gold medal winner at the 2024 Paris Olympics individual balance beam final August 5 after American athletes Suni Lee and Simone Biles took uncharacteristic falls during their routines.

Suni performed first for the American delegation, during which she fell in the middle of her acrobatic series. The 21-year-old earned a 13.1—a score which was likely to keep her out of medal contention—and could be seen getting a hug from Simone following her performance.

In fact, despite looking frustrated after finishing her routine, Suni—who wasn’t even sure she’d be able to compete at this year’s Games due to her health battle—was soon smiling and laughing after speaking with her coach Jess Graba and Simone.

But while Suni was the first gymnast to fall during her final, she was not the last. Sabrina Voinea of Romania fell twice during her beam routine, followed by a fall from Simone.

At the end of the 27-year-old’s acrobatic series, she appeared to suffer a slip that carried her off the beam. Though she got back on and finished her routine, with falls resulting in a 0.5-point deduction, Simone could be seen shaking her head as she awaited her score.

She ultimately received a 13.1 for her performance.

Simone was the second-to-last athlete to perform, with Rebeca Andrade mounting the beam last. And while the powerhouse from the Brazilian delegation performed an impressive routine, it wasn’t enough to earn her a spot on the podium.

Alice ultimately took home gold with a score of 14.366, while Zhou Yaqin of China earned silver and Italian gymnast Manila Esposito walked away with bronze.

But while Simone didn’t medal in the beam final, she has one more opportunity to go for gold when she and teammate Jordan Chiles compete in the individual floor finals.

If she were to win the top spot, the recognized American GOAT would have earned her eighth gold and eleventh Olympic medal overall.

Already at Paris, Simone has earned golds in the team all-around, individual vault and individual all-around events.

Meanwhile, Alice has earned her second medal and first gold after at the 2024 Olympic Games her beam final.

For more emotional moments in Paris, keep reading.

USA gymnast Simone Biles beams after winning gold in the women's all-around final, sporting her "GOAT" necklace.

Great Britain's Andy Murray—who announced his retirement before the Paris Games—tearfully bids farewell to the crowd after being eliminated alongside Dan Evans in the men's doubles.

Tomokazu Harimoto of Team Japan lets off some steam during his match against China's Fan Zhendong.

Men's 200m backstroke silver medalist Apostolos Christou of Greece gets emotional while standing on the podium.

Spanish tennis Carlos Alcaraz lets out a victorious scream after defeating Tommy Paul of Team USA in men's single.

Great Britain's bronze medalists Andrea Spendolini Sirieix and Lois Toulson share a raw moment after the women's synchronized 10m platform diving final.

Korbin Albert gets emotional after scoring a goal in the women's soccer game.

Team Sweden's Sarah Sjoestroem celebrates her gold medal in the Women's 100m Freestyle Final.

Team USA's Katie Ledecky reacts to winning gold in the Women's 1500m Freestyle Final.

French swimmer Anastasiia Kirpichnikova cries tears of joy after seeing her silver medal-winning time in women's 1500m freestyle event.

Serbia's Nemanja Majdov (L) and Greece's Theodoros Tselidis (R) share a moment after their round in the men's 90kg round of 16 in judo. Tselildis, who beat Majdov, later won the bronze medal. 

Manon Apithy-Brunet (L) kisses her husband France's Bolade Apithy after his team beat Egypt. 

Gold medalist Alex Yee of Team Great Britain and silver medalist Hayden Wilde of Team New Zealand share a subtle celebratory moment after crossing the finish line. 

Team New Zealand leaps for joy after beating Canada in the Women's Rugby Sevens Gold medal match. 

Agustina Gorzelany of Team Argentina celebrates her team's first goal in a match against Spain. Argentina ended up winning the match 2-1. 

Team Guatemala's Adriana Ruano Oliva gets emotional after realizing she's won the gold medal—her country's very first—in the shooting trap women's final. 

Andy Murray and Dan Evans of Great Britain embrace in celebration after besting Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen of Team Belgium in Men's Doubles second round match. 

Great Britain's Tom Dean celebrates, along with fellow teammates, after his win in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay. 

Simone Biles expresses elation after securing the gold medal for Team USA in the women's gymnastics team final, making her the most decorated gymnast in history. 

Team Italy reacts after finishing the women's gymnastics all around team final with a silver medal. 

Coco Gauff listens to a call made against her during a July 30 match against Croatia's Donna Vekic. The controversial line correction ended the tennis champion's run in the 2024 Olympics. 

Jasmine Paolini reacts during her match with Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. She lost the match, exiting the games. 

Serbian sports shooter Zorana Arunovic kisses her gold medal—her first time medaling in the sport after competing in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. 

Kazuma Kaya and the rest of Team Japan celebrate after earning a gold medal for the artistic gymnastics men's team final. They were followed by Team China with silver, and Team USA with bronze. 

Adam Burgess of Great Britain celebrates after completing his event. His team took home a silver and bronze medal for canoe slalom, a sport that sees competitors navigate a whitewater course. 

Team Malaysia's Tang Jie Chen and Ee Wei Toh celebrate after beating China during the mixed doubles play stage. 

Asher Hong of Team USA celebrates after completing the vault at the men's team final. He placed 9th in his event, and helped earn the Team USA men's gymnastics team a bronze medal. 

French fencer Manon Apithy-Brunet reacts after beating South Korea's Choi Se-bin in the women's semifinal bout. 

Serbia's Novak Djokovic holds up his racket in celebration after defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain in a second round match of the Men's Singles tournament. 

Ezinne Kalu and the rest of Team Nigeria celebrate their win against Team Australia.