Simone Biles Makes History At World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
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Simone Biles continues to prove herself as one of the greatest athletes of all time with her latest accomplishment. On Sunday (Oct. 1) while competing with Team USA in Antwerp, Belgium at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the 26-year-old landed an extremely difficult move, officially cementing the vault in her honor.
According to USA Today, the decorated gymnast became the first woman to perform the Yurchenko double pike. Skills in gymnastics are named for the first person who does them at a major international competition, so the high-level move is now called the “Biles II” in the gymnastics rule book.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist now has five skills named after her across vault, floor exercise, and the balance beam.
“People I hope realize that’s maybe one of the last times you’re going to see a vault like that in your life from a woman gymnast. So I think it’s time to appreciate it,” explained Biles’ coach Laurent Landi.
Per the outlet, Biles is the only woman gymnast to complete the move and few men make attempts due to the risk of serious injury with even the slightest mistake. For her success, Biles earned a score of 15.266, including the half-point deduction given by gymnastics officials for having Landi standing on the mat if the stunt went wrong.
“She made it,” Landi detailed. “She handled her nerves, handled the pressure. Last event, so there was fatigue and everything.”
The competition is Biles’ return to the international stage after withdrawing from events during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. She then took a two-year hiatus from the sport for mental health reasons. Her official return came in August 2023, where she scored her record-breaking eighth U.S. gymnastics title.
“It’s really amazing. Everybody in here believes in me,” Biles detailed. “So I just need to start believing in myself a little bit more, but it feels amazing and I love the fans, I love the crowd. It was really special.”
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