Simone Biles has enjoyed a legendary career so far in her gymnastics journey, having won multiple Olympic and World Championship medals and having a few remarkable eponymous gymnastics skills. However, in her journey to the sport’s zenith, she has faced challenges while learning new skills and honing the rest.
In her autobiography “Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance”, published in 2016, Biles reflected on the difficult moment from one of her gymnastics training sessions, when she was trying to perform a ‘giant’, a skill that involves rotating around the high bar with an extended body.
In one such attempt to execute a flawless giant, Biles’ grip slipped and made her fall, landing hard on the concrete instead of the protective foam mat. Expecting sympathy after the setback, the legendary gymnast was caught by surprise when coach Nicole immediately instructed her to get up and try again.
“My fall that day was so bizarre that when I hit the high bar, I bounced off it and rolled down the steel cables at the side, landing hard on the concrete,” Biles wrote. “Ouch. Chest heaving, I lay on my back looking up at the vaulted ceiling of the gym. Tears spilled from the corners of my eyes. I knew how lucky I was to have escaped with no broken bones, but I’d been truly frightened.”
She added:
“I was still on the ground thinking, I’m never doing that again! when I saw Coach Nicole standing over me. ‘Get up, Simone.’ I got to my feet and wiped my eyes.”
Eventually, with coach Nicole’s guidance, Biles successfully executed a giant.
Simone Biles became the first female gymnast to execute a Yurchenko double pike vault in competition
Simone Biles became the first female gymnast to have the most difficult skill, the Yurchenko double pike, named after her. She achieved this at the 2023 World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
Following her feat, the skill was named “Biles II”. The challenging skill includes a round-off onto the springboard followed by a back handspring onto the vaulting table. It is followed by two flips in the air, with the gymnast’s body in a piked position, meaning legs straight and body folded forward at the waist.
Before executing the skill at the World Championships, Simone Biles performed the skill flawlessly at the GK U.S. Classic in 2021. The Yurchenko double pike helped her clinch a gold medal in the vault event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, following which she bid farewell to the skill.
