Recently, Simone Biles won her sixth all-around world title, becoming the most decorated female gymnast in history. At the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, Biles claimed her fifth named skill: the Yurchenko double pike. This vault consists of a round-off onto the springboard with a back handspring up onto the vaulting table. Following the back handspring, Biles pushes off the table using her upper body. Before her feet touch the ground, she flips twice in a folded, piked, position.
Biles first competed this skill in competition at the 2021 U.S. Classics, but it was not named after her until last month. According to olympics.com, for a skill to be named after a gymnast, the athlete must submit the skill to The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Women’s Technical Committee and successfully compete the skill at an eligible, international competition.
Simone competes all four events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. She has at least one named skill on three out of the four apparatuses. Her four named skills, excluding the Yurchenko double pike, consist of a double flip in a laid out, flat, position with a half twist on the floor exercise (see this skill here), a double flip with a triple twist in the tucked position on the floor exercise (known as the “triple double” on floor) (see this skill here), a double flip with a double twist in the tucked position off of the balance beam (known by gymnasts or gymnastics fans as the “double double” on beam) (see this skill here), and a round-off onto the springboard with a half twist onto the vaulting table and then two full twists in the stretched, laid out, position before landing, competed on the vault (see this skill here).
Biles took to Instagram to tell her fans how happy she is about her most recent World titles, saying, “I’m speechless. I’m honored. I’m excited and I’m blessed!” She also expressed thankfulness to her fans for the support they have given her throughout her gymnastics journey.
Following her case of the “twisties” at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, many people around the world lost faith in Biles’ abilities. According to FIG, the “twisties” are defined as the loss of spatial awareness while performing a gymnastics skill. Biles was questioned about her mental strength and her ability to bounce back. However, she has shown that she is back and stronger than ever. She has not yet stated if she will go out for the Paris 2024 Olympic women’s team, but many suspect that she will, and her results seem favorable and promising.
