We can’t even mess around during a moment of this magnitude. Simone Biles just made gymnastics history as the first woman to ever land a Yurchenko double pike in competition. The highly difficult, historically male skill consists of a roundoff onto the springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vault and a piked double backflip to landing. You’ve probably seen a diver attempt a double-pike backflip, boosted by a platform several dozen feet in the air, not powered by their own two feet. You’ll notice she actually gives it too much power, which causes a less-than-perfect landing but leaves us wanting more. The move is so difficult that the judges assigned it a lower starting-point value, 6.6, either because they’re scared of other gymnasts injuring themselves or they’re scared of Biles dominating. (That’s a cross-sport move called a “Surya Bonaly.“) Biles has faced a similar scoring issue before, with her double-twisting double-tucked salto backwards dismount, known as the “Biles,†on beam. She also has a “Biles†on vault already; a roundoff, back handspring with half-turn entry; front stretched somersault with two twists — as well as two “Biles†on floor, a double layout with a half-twist and a triple-twisting double-tucked salto … backwards. The four-time Olympic gold medalist defended her title at this competition and is expected at the U.S. Olympic team trials June 24 to June 27.
