Simone Biles was already one of the greatest athletes of all time — and the greatest gymnast ever. But with her eyes on the Tokyo Olympics this summer, she continues pushing herself. And the results are truly amazing.
Biles returns to competition Saturday for the first time since the 2019 world championships — where she became the most decorated gymnast at worlds and increased her medal count to 25, 19 of them gold — and will compete in the U.S. Classic in Indianapolis.
On vault, the 24-year-old gymnast could perform a new move, a Yurchenko double pike, as USA TODAY Sports’ Nancy Armour reported. It’s a super intense and dangerous vault, and Biles could become the first woman to attempt it.
And fans got a little preview of this revolutionary vault, and it’s absolutely jaw-dropping.
Simone Biles just landed her Yurchenko double pike in podium training and we are SPEECHLESS. 😮 #USClassic@Simone_Biles @OnHerTurf pic.twitter.com/S9YsasXoXu
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) May 21, 2021
And she nearly stuck the landing too. Here’s another angle:
Simone just almost stuck her yurchenko double pike. WE LIVE IN THE TIME OF SIMONE! pic.twitter.com/zFfl33qXme
— GymCastic (@GymCastic) May 21, 2021
“We’re really excited about it,” Biles told USA TODAY Sports in April. “It’s really consistent.”
Earlier this year, one of Biles’ coaches, Laurent Landi, explained the risks associated with attempting a Yurchenko double pike. Via 60 Minutes, Landi said:
“It’s very, very challenging. And what’s scary — it’s that people can get hurt, you know? You do a short landing, you can hurt your ankles. It’s a very dangerous vault.”
Simone Biles could be the first woman to attempt a Yurchenko double pike in competition, say her coaches. Only men have landed it. “It's very, very challenging… people can get hurt… it's a very dangerous vault,” says Biles’ coach, Laurent Landi. https://t.co/ovlrulJYIO pic.twitter.com/qQTxKeUuNk
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) February 15, 2021
2020 👀👀👀 ? pic.twitter.com/3QDjSOPYbH
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) February 3, 2020
Biles’ recent practice video is an exciting teaser for what she could do this weekend, at Olympic trials and at the Tokyo Games, where she has a realistic shot at adding five more Olympic golds to her already stunning medal count.
