USA gymnast Suni Lee suffered disaster at the Olympics on Monday after coming flying off the balance beam in Paris.
Lee, who has already claimed two bronze medals at this summer’s Games, left fans heartbroken when her impressive routine suddenly went horribly wrong.
The 21-year-old was performing excellently at the time of her mistake, which drew a huge gasp from the crowd at Bercy Arena as she went crashing to the floor.
It means Lee has missed out on a medal in the balance beam final after receiving a score of 13.100, going down as a disappointment following her third-place finishes in the all-around and uneven bar events.
Simone Biles could be seen consoling Lee as she tried to lift her teammate’s spirits before competing on the beam herself.
Suni Lee suffered a disaster at the Olympics on Monday after falling off the balance beam
Biles, who has won three golds already in Paris, also saw her routine go slightly wrong when she briefly lost her footing, meaning she too missed out on a medal with the same score of 13.100.
It is the first time the 27-year-old has failed to make it onto the podium at this summer’s Olympics.
Yet while Biles’ shortcoming was a surprise, fans were most devastated for Lee after a superb performance and potential shot at gold ended in disaster.
One wrote on social media: ‘Broke my heart seeing suni lee fall rn’.
Another put: ‘That was going to be Suni Lee’s best beam performance before she fell that’s so heartbreaking.’
A third said: ‘The yelp I just let out when Suni Lee fell off that beam’.
While one commented: ‘Half asleep and started full on crying when Suni Lee fell off the beam just now. Happy Monday!’
Lee, who has already claimed two bronze medals at this summer’s Games, left fans heartbroken when her impressive routine suddenly went horribly wrong
Teammate Simone Biles was seen trying to lift her spirits after she came off the beam
Lee was not too disheartened after failing to win a balance beam medal, insisting that she gave it her best shot.
‘I’m so sad about my beam routine,’ she told E. ‘But I gave it my all, so that’s ok.’
The youngster went on to suggest that the silence in Bercy Arena may have contributed to her error, admitting that she doesn’t like competing when the atmosphere is so tense.
‘I feel like it was the pressure, the atmosphere,’ she continued. ‘It was really silent when you get up there.
‘I could literally hear myself breathing.’
