Simone Biles returned to the global stage in groundbreaking fashion on Sunday (Oct. 1) at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
via: People
The 26-year-old gymnast successfully executed the Yurchenko double pike vault, weeks after landing it at the U.S. national championships.
In sticking the landing, the vault — which features a round-off entry and a back handspring onto the apparatus followed by two flips — is now known as the “Biles II.”
At the world championships in Antwerp, Belgium, it is graded 6.4 in difficulty, according to NBC Sports. Last year at the competition, the most challenging vault was rated a 5.6, per the outlet.
For Biles, the vault has been in her arsenal since 2021 but she had never before performed it in international competition, per NBC Sports.
Before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the seven-time Olympic medalist had hopes of landing the vault. But in the months leading up to the competition, she nixed the routine, citing the “risk vs. reward factor.”
“In gymnastics, almost everything has been done so when you push boundaries there is a risk factor — risk vs reward,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “Gymnastics can be a dangerous sport so you have to be smart. I’m glad I have great coaches that guide me, help me be creative and push those boundaries.”
Months later, Biles removed herself from four out of five event finals in Japan to recover from the “twisties” — a disorienting condition athletes can experience when they lose understanding of their air awareness, which puts them at risk of injury when they land.
In August, Biles told PEOPLE that in her time away from international competition over the past two years, she’s made sure to work on the “personal side” of her preparation — even if twisting events have still given her pause.
“I think I’ve always had the competitive drive, so I don’t think that taking the time off taught me a lot about the competitive side of me,” Biles told PEOPLE in August. “I think it was more about the personal side and getting to truly take care of myself mentally and physically and make sure everything is in tune so that whenever I am competing everything goes well.”
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