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Simone Biles' coach hits out at Olympics judges after giving Team USA gymnast 'harsh' penalty in the balance beam final
Simone Biles' coach didn't shy away from criticizing Olympic gymnastics judges after her star pupil was penalized over an apparently minor transgression.
Biles' penultimate performance in Paris ended with a fifth-place finish on the balance beam due to a rare tumble in the event.
Later her score of 13.100 reflected a 0.3-point deduction for failing to conclude her routine properly.
The issue, it turns out, was that Biles neglected to properly acknowledge the D1 judge at the end of her performance. According to International Gymnastics Federation's Code of Points, gymnasts must 'present themselves in the proper manner (arm/s up) and thereby acknowledge the D1 Judge at the commencement of her exercise and to acknowledge the same judge at the conclusion of her exercise.'
Afterwards, coach Cecile Landi questioned the decision along with many disappointed American gymnastics fans.
Simone Biles poses with her coaches Cecile Landi (left) and Laurent Landi (right)
'We watched it,' she told reporters as quoted by USA Today. 'I could see it, yes and no. I think it's a little harsh, but at the end, it didn't matter. So no, we're not going to make a big deal out of it.'
Fans were less forgiving because Biles did appear to turn to the judges at the end of her routine, however briefly.
'I watched her turn and salute the judges with my own two eyes,' one fan wrote on X.
In the end, as Landi pointed out, the penalty didn't matter. Biles made sure to give judges the proper salute at the end of her final event in Paris – a second-place finish on the floor.
She now has 11 career Olympic medals: seven gold, two silver, two bronze.
Remarkably, she could conceivably compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, when she will be 31.
Asked about one more Olympic run, Biles told reporters: 'Never say never.'