The greatest to ever do it!
Simone Biles just made history as the first woman to land a Yurchenko double pike in competition, CNN reports.
World champion gymnast Simone Biles made her return to competition after more than a year and a half off. During the GK US Classic, the final qualifying event for the 2021 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, in Indianapolis, she did not disappoint fans. She wowed fans when she landed the Yurchenko double pike vault move in front of a crowd of onlookers, becoming the first woman to do it.
The Yurchenko move is a high difficulty double pike, consisting of a roundoff onto the springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vaulting table, and ending with a piked double backflip into the air before landing. The move has historically only ever been successfully completed by men. 24-year-old Biles just changed all of that, completing the Yurchenko with an extra two hops for a little flair.
“I was just thinking, ‘Do it like training. Don’t try to overdo anything,’...because I have a tendency as soon as I raise my hand to kind of overpower things, and I did a little bit, but at least I was on my feet. It’s a new vault and I’m proud of how today went,” Biles told reporters.
Biles is a four-time Olympic gold medalist. At the GK US Classic, she defended her title with a score of 58.400, taking the top score in both balance beam and floor exercise. During competition, Biles donned a leotard emblazoned with a rhinestone goat, a nod to her current standing as the greatest of all time.
20-year-old Jordan Chiles of Spring, Texas finished second overall with 57.100 points and 17-year-old Kayla DiCello from Boyds, Maryland, came in third with a score of 56.100.
The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled for late July after being on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. Olympic team trials are June 24-27 in St. Louis.
Congratulations, Simone!
Photo Courtesy of Glamour