Alice D'Amato wins shock balance beam gold, becomes first Italian woman to claim Olympic title in any gymnastics event
Italian gymnast Alice D'Amato held her nerve to strike historic gold on the balance beam Monday (5 August) at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
She scored 14.366 ahead of Zhou Yaqin of the People's Republic of China, who posted a 14.100. D'Amato's teammate Manila Esposito was third with 14.000.
No Italian woman had previously won an Olympic medal on the balance beam - or any individual event for that matter. Now the country owns two, with D'Amato covering her face in disbelief as her victory was confirmed.
It's the first time that Italy has won an Olympic title in gymnastics in any event - male or female - since Athens 2004, when Igor Cassina claimed gold on the horizontal bar.
Top qualifier Zhou was first to go but had to grab the beam to prevent a fall on a full-turning straight jump crossways on the beam. She scored just 14.100, down more than .700 from qualifying, opening the door for the field.
What followed was a nervous final with falls from both Americans Simone Biles and Suni Lee - as well as others.
Brazil's Rebeca Andrade went last and suffered no major errors, but her difficulty score was down .400 from the qualifying round. She'd finish fourth.
D'Amato seized the opportunity, staying calm through a slight adjustment on her acrobatic series. Her victory adds to the team silver she helped Italy win a few days ago, a first for the country since 1928.