Watch Simone Biles Land New Double Pike Vault Ahead of Tokyo Olympics
Simone Biles just landed a new double pike vault that has us convinced she's superhuman. She already has a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals, making her the most decorated gymnast in the country and the third most decorated gymnast in the world, NBD. But, she hasn't reached the top yet—she's continually leveling up.
"Simone Biles just landed her Yurchenko double pike in podium training and we are SPEECHLESS," the official Twitter account for the Tokyo Olympics tweeted alongside a video that shows her performing the challenging vault.
The vault is named after Russian gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, who performed the stunt in the 1980s. Here's the kicker: The stunt usually stops at a single flip, but Simone added another flip, making it a double.
We're still not 100 percent sure whether or not she'll perform the vault during the Tokyo Games, but it's definitely possible. It's also possible that she could have another move named after her. Right now, there's the “Biles” (double layout half out), the “Biles II” (double backflip with three twists), the “Biles” vault (Yurchenko half-on with two twists), and the “Biles” beam (double-double dismount).
The Tokyo Olympics begin July 24 and run until August 8. The Games were supposed to be held in 2020 but were delayed due to the pandemic. "I felt kind of torn and broken,” Simone told Vogue last year after hearing the news that the Olympics were getting pushed. “Obviously it was the right decision, but to have it finalized—in a way, you feel defeated because you’ve worked so hard.”
It looks like that hard work is paying off... big time.
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