Simone Biles slips off the balance beam, misses the Olympic medal stand

PARIS (AP) — No medal for Simone Biles on the balance beam this time.

The American gymnastics star slipped and fell off the apparatus at the end of her acrobatic series during the Paris Games’ beam finals Monday, denying her an opportunity to add to the bronzes she won on the event at the 2016 and 2020 Games.

Wearing a blue-and-white leotard featuring over 5,000 crystals, Biles was more than halfway through her set when she couldn’t quite keep her balance. The 27-year-old hopped off the beam and onto the mat while thousands inside a packed Bercy Arena — including NFL great Tom Brady — let out an audible “ohhh.”

Biles received a score of 13.100, tied with U.S. teammate Sunisa Lee for fourth.

There was an extended wait for her score to post. At one point, Biles rolled her eyes in seeming annoyance knowing she wasn’t going to finish on the medal stand.

Alice D’Amato of Italy took the gold with a score of 14.366. Zhou Yaqin of China earned silver with a 14.100, just ahead of bronze medalist Manila Esposito of Italy. Italy, which won silver behind the U.S. in the team competition, had never medaled on be...