Simone Biles She already has five gymnastics elements to her name. She chooses another one.
The American superstar presented an original routine on the uneven bars to the International Gymnastics Federation (IGF) on Friday, making her one of four female gymnasts who could attempt new elements at the Paris Olympic Games.
Biles’ new exercise, which is believed to be her weakest, involves a forward hip circular motion with 1.5 turns (or a 540-degree spin) to a handstand. The IGF said it was a variation of an element named after Canadian gymnast Wilhelm Weiler, which Biles has performed many times in her career.
The federation said that if Biles attempts to do it during competition, it will likely be at the beginning of her uneven bars routine, which is when she typically performs the Weiler.
USA Gymnastics showcased the move on X Friday.
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Uneven bars is considered Biles’ “weakest” event in that only one of her 37 Olympic and world medals has come on bars. She remains one of the best Americans in the event, however. Gymnastics in the United States Co-head Chellsie Memmel said this week that the Americans might exclude Biles from the bars during the team finals to give her a break during the games.
Biles has two elements of the women’s code of points named after her on vault, including the complex Yurchenko double pike, which she finished during training this week. This move is considered the most difficult jump in women’s gymnastics, and it has been renamed Biles II in 2023after becoming the first woman to achieve the feat in an international competition. It requires a round entry onto the springboard, a backflip onto the vaulting table and two straight-legged somersaults.
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The 27-year-old also has two elements named after her on floor and one on beam. She hopes to become the only active gymnast to have an eponymous skill on all four events.
For the move to be named after her, Biles will have to perform it without a major mistake at some point during the competition in Paris.
Other athletes hoping to have their original elements named at Paris 2024 include Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who landed a triple Yurchenko twist on vault, and the Netherlands’ Leike Wevers and Naomi Visser, who will attempt a triple twist with the leg held horizontal on the floor. The IFG said that if both gymnasts land the element at the Games, it will be named after them.
