World champion gymnast Simone Biles became the first woman to complete the Yurchenko double pike vault (a vault that no women and few men have performed so far) in the competition at the GK US Classic in Indianapolis last Saturday. She won the U.S Classic with 58.4 all-around points, even after two falls-the uneven bar fall and the floor exercise fall.
She hasn't lost an all-around in eight years. Her training partner, Jordan Chiles took second place with 1.3 points behind her. The American gymnast competed for the first time since the 2019 World Championships that was held in October 2019-587 days between the two competitions. As you would have guessed, the abrupt break was due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. Well, for the four-time Olympic champion, this period was more than just a break!
She had a Rhinestone Goat embroidered on the back of her leotard, signifying her GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) title.
Simon Biles usually writes down all her goals at the beginning of each year. At the beginning of 2020, she was all prepared to participate in the smaller events that would have helped her to prep her for the Olympic Games. Unfortunately, all the events in 2020 got canceled. Nothing went according to what she planned. However, with the help of her coach, she managed to create some strategic opportunities for herself. She started training for a Yurchenko double pike vault.
"You don't really want to go to the Olympic Games and perform a brand new skill for the first time," said Biles's coach, Cecile Landi
She even posted footage recorded in her gym where she flips onto the vault to propel two turns in the air with her body bent at the waist!
"It was just something fun we were working on. And then, given the extra year we had, we're like, 'We could actually make this happen if we train it seriously.' And that's how that came about," Biles said in an interview.
What is a Yurchenko Double Pike?
After sprinting down the runway, the gymnasts use roundoff onto the springboard which is followed by a back handspring onto the vaulting table- gaining enough height to launch into two back-flips with stretched legs i.e. the pike position-knees straight, hips bent, and then landing starch-backed in a straight line.
Via The Indian EXPRESS
If the vaulter is unable to get enough height from the springboard, they might injure their head or neck. The impact on a hard surface can even lead to an ankle injury hence avoided by many women gymnasts as three out of four
What next?
Simone Biles is preparing for the Olympic Trials from June 24-27 in St.Louis.
Even though, after winning four gold medals and one bronze in Rio Olympics in 2016 and 19 gold medals at the World Championships, she had planned that 2020 would be her final year of competition. She had decided to retire from the sport after the Tokyo Olympics. She was in tears after learning about the postponement of the Olympics. She even told her mother that she couldn't even see herself extending her career by one more year in a sport where young participants prosper. However, her mother kept motivating her and brought the best out of her.
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