Simone Biles's Leotard Confirms She's The Greatest Of All Time As She Completes Historic Vault

May 26, 2021 by apost team

Gymnastics routines have been getting a lot of love in the last few years — and for good reason. Some of the routines that gymnasts are turning out these days show incredible technical skill, while others are an absolute joy to watch, incorporating elements of dance and other performance aspects. 

One gymnast whose routines are shared often is Simone Biles. Boasting 30 Olympic and World Championship medals to her name, Biles is the most decorated gymnast from the United States and the third most decorated worldwide, so it's no surprise that her routines are constantly worth looking out for. Her skill is on another level entirely, so when she shows off her athleticism and stuns the gymnastics judges and crowd, it's only a matter of time before a video of hers will go viral.

Well, that's exactly what happened this past weekend after Biles became the first woman ever to land a Yurchenko double pike in a competition on May 21, 2021. Previously only executed by a handful of male gymnasts, the maneuver is incredibly difficult. Biles landed the Yurchenko double pike at the GK U.S. Classic competition in Indianapolis, where she pushed the limits of her own skill, continuing to prove why she's at the top of her game.

Naturally, fans have been commenting about the incredible move and showing their support for Biles, including official channels such as the Tokyo Olympics. More than just an incredible athlete, the 24-year-old is an inspiration to people the world over, especially young girls, as she sends the message that gender is no obstacle to greatness.

The Yurchenko double pike is thought to be so challenging and dangerous that no other female gymnasts have attempted to execute it in competition, leaving it to only a handful of male gymnasts to do so. Until now. The tricky maneuver is explained by the New York Times as such:

"To execute it, a gymnast first must launch herself into a roundoff back handspring onto the vaulting table, and then propel herself high enough to give herself time to flip twice in a pike position (body folded, legs straight) before landing on her feet."

That already sounds incredibly difficult (and confusing) but to see it in action is even more awe-inspiring. The vault is executed so quickly that if you blink, you might miss the entire thing. The maneuver is named after former Russian gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, who pioneered the first part of the move leading up to the vaulting table — and even she never attempted such a challenging feat while competing. 

Biles first revealed she was working on the move last week in a training video, which also went viral. Basketball legend LeBron James even reposted it to his Twitter, writing, "MY GOODNESS @Simone_Biles!!" followed by multiple flame emojis. 

Following the practice run, Biles debuted the move at the GK U.S. Classic in Indianapolis, making her the first woman to ever land the Yurchenko double pike in competition. Although she over-rotated, leading her to step back upon landing, the maneuver was incredibly executed and drew instant cheers from the crowd. Unsurprisingly, the video of her has since gone viral.

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The official Tokyo Olympics Twitter account shared a video of Biles' Yurchenko double pike with the comment:

"THE QUEEN HAS SPOKEN 👑 Simone Biles landed her Yurchenko double pike for the first time in competition."

Biles also posted to her own Twitter, partly in disbelief and partly incredibly proud of herself, as she should be. She wrote:

"I’m sorry but I can’t believe I competed a double pike on vault"

The gymnast also weighed in on her accomplishment to NBC Sports, as reported by People:

"I was just thinking, do it like training. Don't try to like overdo anything because I have a tendency, as soon as I raise my hand to overpower things and I did a little bit, but I was still on my feet. It's a new vault and I'm proud of how today went even though it was a little bit rough and uncharacteristic but it was okay."

She continued, commenting on how quickly the video of her spread online:

"Yeah, it is everywhere. It's pretty crazy but it's also nice to see all the support from all over the world."

The U.S. Classic was Biles' first competition in 18 months after the pandemic put a halt to competitions temporarily. So it was not only a welcome return to competition for the athlete but one that she'll remember for making history. She added:

"It was really nerve-wracking but I'm just happy to be back out here, competing on a competition floor in an arena with the girls especially after a long year and the time off we've had." 

Were you impressed by Simone Biles' Yurchenko double pike? If you found this story inspiring, be sure to let us know and pass it on to fellow gymnastics fans.