At the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Simone Biles, 26, again took center stage and set a new record. As reported by CBS News, she became the first woman to land a Yurchenko double pike vault in Belgium, marking another feather in her cap. This monumental achievement means Biles now boasts five elements bearing her name.
✨The Best Gymnast in the World.
✨Simone Biles✨ makes history.After a two-year absence, Biles made history at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships, becoming the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault, now named the Biles II, internationally.
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— 💎💎💎 (@MilaRoyaleReal) October 2, 2023
The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame describes the Yurchenko double pike vault, which involves “a round-off entry onto the springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vaulting table, culminating in two flips.”
The origin of this move traces back to Natalia Yurchenko, who first executed it during the 1983 Budapest World Championships, where she clinched an all-around gold, says the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Regarded as arguably the most intricate vault in women’s gymnastics, it will now be christened Biles II, as CBS News confirms.
But this isn’t a new accolade for Simone. TEAM USA notes that she already has four other elements named in her honor. The Athletic elaborates on these, mentioning two floor elements: the Biles, a double layout accompanied by a half twist, and the Biles II, a double-tucked backflip integrated with a triple twist. She also has The Biles for the balance beam—a dismount featuring a double twist combined with a double-tucked backflip. Additionally, there’s The Biles associated with the vault, which is a Yurchenko half-on augmented with two twists in a laid-out stance.
After a nearly two-year break, Biles proves she remains a dominant force in gymnastics.
