Rebecca Andrade has been making waves online after a viral video of her surfaced featuring her practicing the Triple-Twisting Yurchenko vault move
The defending Olympic vault champion had officially submitted the skill for consideration at the Paris Olympics 2024.
For the curious, the 25-year-old Brazilian gymnast aims to have the Triple-Twisting Yurchenko named after her in the Code of Points. This move come to the spotlight in the midst of Simone Biles’ consistent flawlessly landing Yurchenko Double Pike movie for the past year, especially in the recent months.
Video of Brazilian gymnast Rebecca Andrade practicing the ‘Triple-Twisting Yurchenko’ move goes viral
The Yurchenko Double Pike, which is named after Biles as the “Biles II on Floor,” gives the American gymnast a significant edge since she is the only one performing the skill, earning a difficulty score of 6.4
While the most top gymnast performs the double twisting Yurchenko, which reportedly carries a difficulty score of 5.0.
Rebecca Andrade vs Simone Biles
Till now, Rebecca Andrade, who frequently performs the double-twisting Yurchenko combined with Cheng during the vault competition, falls short of Biles in scores, even if Simone makes a mistake with her Yurchenko Double Pike.
However, with the introduction of the Triple-Twisting Yurchenko in her repertoire, the Brazilian gymnast could present a formidable challenge to the 7-time Olympic medalist for the vault gold at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Rebeca Andrade performing the triple-twisting Yurchenko vault, which gymnasts have been trying to do for over 15 years
— Women Posting W's (@womenpostingws) August 9, 2024
About Triple-Twisting Yurchenko
For the curious, Andrade’s Triple-Twisting Yurchenko often starts with a round-off, back-handspring entry onto the table, followed by a triple twist with one flip in a stretched position before landing.
While the height she achieves is slightly less than Biles’ during the Yurchenko Double Pike, the skill is likely to be awarded a difficulty score of 5.8.
Though 5.8 is still lower than the 6.4 of the ‘Biles II on vault,’ Andrade is reportedly working on adding a Cheng to it, which would elevate her difficulty score to match Biles’ 6.4.
While Andrade submitted the skill during podium training at Paris 2024 on July 25, she did not perform it during the session.
Whether this was a strategic choice or due to her not being fully prepared remains unclear, but to have the skill named after her, the 25-year-old must execute it flawlessly during the competition.
Though Andrade and Biles have historically earned similar execution scores, Biles’ higher difficulty level has set her apart. With Andrade now aiming to match that difficulty, the vault competition at Paris 2024 promises to be thrilling.
ALSO READ: Who is USA diver Alison Gibson, bio, age, height, coach, college, medals and Instagram