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US Gymnast Simone Biles Keeps Making History — Watch All the Flips She Has Named After Her

24/11/2019 - 08:05 PM

Simone Biles makes gymnastics, a sport known for its four-inch beam and gravity-defying tumbling, look easy. Her six-year winning streak continues, but that alone doesn't just make her the GOAT. She's the GOAT because she does skills that no woman has done before — and when you land these skills in an international competition (a World Championships or an Olympic Games, more specifically) they name it after you.

Aside from The Biles on floor, her signature double layout half, the four-time World Champion [1] and four-time Olympic gold medalist has another move bearing her name on vault, also called "The Biles." It's a round-off on the springboard connected to a half turn onto the vault with two full twists. She unveiled it for the first time at the USA Gymnastics 2018 World Team Selection Camp [2] and debuted it at 2018 Worlds [3].

Simone will now, as it turns out, have a second skill named after her on floor. It's the triple double that she warmed up with before the 2019 GK US Classic [4] but then did in competition for the first time at the US Gymnastics Championships [5] this year. Since she landed it during the qualifying round of the 2019 World Gymnastics Championships on Oct. 5 [6], it will go into the FIG Code of Points as the Biles II.

In the Code of Points, skills are given a value of A (easiest) to I (hardest), but national high-performance coordinator Tom Forester told the Wall Street Journal that Simone's triple double, if competed in an international competition, would be a J skill [7] worth one whole point. In fact, " . . . our whole coaching community, and judging community, believe it's a J," he said. Cheryl Hamilton, internationally qualified judge and chair of the Women's National Technical Committee, echoed this in an interview with POPSUGAR.

Look at Simone, changing the rules of gymnastics! In comparison, The Biles on floor is valued at a G, according to the most recent FIG Women's Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points [8]. Simone also did her double-twisting double dismount off of beam during the qualifying round of 2019 Worlds [9]. That skill will be dubbed "The Biles" when it officially goes into the FIG Code of Points. Ahead, check out footage of the moves named after Simone so far, as well as the two that will soon be added to the FIG Code of Points bearing her name. Plus, read more on how gymnasts get skills named after them here [10].

Skill Named After Simone Biles on Floor: The Biles

Check out Simone doing her signature move on floor — it's her second pass here. She's been doing it as far back as 2013.

Watch Simone Biles Add on to That Signature Skill on Floor

At the 2019 GK US Classic, Simone added a front layout to The Biles. You can see that 35 seconds into this video.

Skill Named After Simone Biles on Vault: The Biles

Simone Biles competed this vault for the first time at the 2018 World Championships. In landing it, she was added to the FIG Code of points. You can also view it in slow motion here. Just look at that smile!

Skill Named After Simone Biles on Floor: The Biles II

Simone competed a triple-twisting double on floor (that's two flips and three twists in a tuck position) for the first time at the 2019 US Gymnastics Championships. She fell on the skill during night one but landed it on night two, making her the first woman to land that skill in competition. After landing this J-level skill during the qualification round of 2019 Worlds, it will now be dubbed the Biles II. Watch her full routine from that night here (the Biles II is the first tumbling pass here).

Watch That Triple Double in Slow Motion!

Skill Named After Simone Biles on Beam: The Biles

Simone debuted this new dismount during the first night of the 2019 US Gymnastics Championships. It's two back handsprings on the beam to a double-twisting double back tuck off of the beam. "I'm really happy with the beam dismount and how it's come along, because if you had asked me after [US Classic] if I was going to compete it, I would've said no," Biles told Team USA [12]. It will officially be dubbed The Biles now that she did it during the qualification round of 2019 Worlds, as seen at the end of her routine here. The FIG Women's Technical Committee declared that it's worth an H, or eight tenths of a point, despite the fact that the National Women's Technical Committee (and Simone) thought it should be worth more [13].

Watch That Double Double in Slow Motion!


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/Gymnastics-Moves-Named-After-Simone-Biles-46490023