With so many awards and championships under her belt, there is no doubt about Simone Biles being the greatest gymnast of all time. Starting gymnastics at such a young age, Simone Biles began her journey at the tender age of 6 and has worked tirelessly to realize her aspirations. Twenty years later, who would have thought that Biles would have now have five gymnastic skills named after her?
It’s safe to say, even for a gymnast, that it’s really hard to accomplish this feat, let alone have one gymnastic skill named after you. So, how did Biles do it? According to FIG Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points, to get a gymnastics move named after you, you have to be the first to perform it without failing in an international competition like the World Championship or Olympics. The move should also be rated as C in difficulty by the FIG code of points.
Simone Biles has been out of action for the past two years due to her gymnastics mental block condition called ‘twisties’. But before she took a break, she already had 4 gymnastics skills named after her – two on the floor and one each on balance beam and vault.
Here are the skills named after Simone Biles:
1. FLOOR- The Biles- Double layout with half twist (180°)
Simone Biles had this skill named after her after she performed it during her first World Championships in Antwerp in 2013. It’s a G-skill that involves flipping twice in the air, while the gymnast’s body maintains a lay-out position, and performing a half-twist (180°) before landing. Gymnasts usually do a full turn in the air, but with a half-twist, you won’t see where you land, therefore to perform ‘The Biles’ you must have a good sense and muscle memory and know exactly when and where to land.
As per TexasMonthly, gymnast London Phillips had already performed the move in 2005, however, it was only done at a domestic competition and it is only possible to name a move after a person when it is performed at an international competition so it was disregarded.
2. FLOOR- The Biles II- Double back salto with triple twist (1080°)
Biles introduced this skill at the U.S.A. Gymnastics Championships in Kansas in 2019. Currently considered to be the hardest floor exercise, “The Biles II” is a J-move that requires tremendous strength for the gymnast to execute a double back flip, then spin three times in the air.
3. BALANCE BEAM- The Biles- Double-double dismount
Biles performed this maneuver in the same event, U.S.A. Gymnastics Championships, as the ‘The Biles II’ floor exercise in 2019. It’s an H gymnastic move that involves a double back flip merged with a simultaneous double twist (720°) on the balance beam.
According to Times, the judges tried to lower its value the first time Biles did this move so other gymnasts wouldn’t try it because they thought it was too dangerous.
4. VAULT- The Biles- Yurchenko half-on with two twists
Biles debut this move at the 2018 World Championships in Doha, Qatar. This maneuver is classified as an I skill due to its complexity. This move requires the gymnast to do a Yurchenko-style round-off on the springboard, followed by a back handspring to the vaulting table, and finally a a half turn with two twists (720°) at the end.
5. VAULT- The Biles II- Yurchenko double pike
And finally, in her most recent competition at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, Biles performed a Yurchenko once again, but this time, subsequently finishing it with two double flips in a pike position.
This is what the newly named "Biles II" on vault looks like from the side. 🤯@Simone_Biles x #Antwerp2023 pic.twitter.com/Z12DsNGSnV
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) October 1, 2023
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