Gymnastics-French favourite de Jesus dos Santos crashes out of Paris Games

PARIS : France's Melanie de Jesus dos Santos had a nightmare showing at the Bercy Arena on Sunday with her Olympics over after she failed to qualify for any gymnastics finals while the French squad was shockingly eliminated from the team competition.

The popular 24-year-old, one of the faces of the Games, was reduced to tears after struggling mightily despite the vocal support of the home crowd in her second - and what she has suggested will be her last - Olympics.

"I'm disappointed in myself. I tried to be strong, but I didn't succeed," a teary de Jesus dos Santos told Eurosport.

"My mental strength did not hold up. I put everything in place to be strong today, but I didn't succeed. I missed my Olympics.

"I feel like I've worked so hard for nothing. I gave everything for two years and today it didn't work. There is nothing positive today.

"I think these were my last Games and I didn't succeed in enjoying them. I didn't have fun. But I'm happy to see the crowd there for us, it warms my heart."

Starting on uneven bars, de Jesus dos Santos fell early in her routine and while she recovered to hit the dismount, the early misstep was just the beginning.

A shaky performance on balance beam followed, including a moment when she had to grab the apparatus to keep from falling off.

Things did not improve on the floor exercise when she failed to land a double flip in the stretched position, her knees and hands hitting the mat, and she looked dejected after finishing up on vault.

Hopes were high for de Jesus dos Santos, a four-times European champion who moved to Houston more than two years ago to train at Simone Biles' gymnastics club headed up by Cecile and Laurent Landi.

But it was not to be for her and the France squad, who also