American gymnast Simone Biles has become the first ever woman gymnast to pull off the Yurchenko double pike at the World Gymnastics Championships, find out more details about the move below along with the difficulty explained
The Yurchenko double pike is regarded as one of the hardest jumps in the women’s scoring code named after former Soviet artistic gymnast Natalia Yurchenko.
What is the Yurchenko double pike vault aka Biles II in gymnastics explained and its difficulty level
UNMATCHED 🐐
After landing her Yurchenko double pike at Worlds, @Simone_Biles will officially have her second vault and fifth overall skill named after her. pic.twitter.com/wSgA2oY95v
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) October 1, 2023
Not once but twice 🔥
Simone Biles 🇺🇸wows with the Yurchenko double pike at #ARTWorlds2023
The Yurchenko double pike is considered one of the most difficult aerial maneuvers there is.#Antwerp2023 pic.twitter.com/qCNJg1e3Ov
— FIG (@gymnastics) September 28, 2023
Simone currently has five skills named after her – one for the balance beam, two for floor exercise, and two for vault.
Simone Biles becomes first person to perform Yurchenko double pike
On Sunday, October 1, Simone became the first woman to pull off the move at the World Gymnastics Championships. As such, the vault will now be named after her since gymnastics moves are named after gymnasts who first execute them at a major event. Notably, Biles received a final score of 15.266 points from the technical committee based on the move’s intricacy. Following the score, all-around overall score now stands at 58.865 points for the World Championships.
Yurchenko double pike difficulty level
The Yurchenko double pike is widely regarded as one of the trickiest jumps in the women’s scoring code. In fact, some people even consider it as the hardest existing trick at times. The jump features a major risk if the gymnasts don’t finish the whole spin, as it could result in them landing on their heads.
According to coach Laurent Landi:
It’s great. People I hope realize that’s maybe one of the last times you’re going to see a vault like that in your life from a woman gymnast. So I think it’s time to appreciate it.”
In comparison to a Yurchenko pike, the Yurchenko double pike is far more difficult as the Yurchenko pike involves only one flip. In a Yurchenko double pike, a gymnast jumps off the table with her hands. This gives off the impression of a gymnast doing two and a half flips.
The Yurchenko double pike
The Yurchenko double pike vault is a type of vault where the gymnast performs a round-off onto the springboard. The gymnast then follows up with a back handspring leading onto a horse or vaulting table. The gymnast then performs a salto (gymnastics meaning somersault), which could either be a simple single tuck or even a difficult triple twist layout. A performer can increase their score based on the difficulty of the variant they choose. They have to however, land upright to receive the scores.
Simone Biles moves
The 26-year-old currently has several moves named after her and she has four special moves that she uses in the floor, vault, and balance beam events. In the first floor move, Biles flips twice in the air before adding a half-twist before landing. In the second floor move or the Biles II’s skill, she flips backward twice in the air and then twists three times.
Meanwhile, her third move, performed on the balance beam involves double-twisting and double backflip dismount. Her fourth move, called the Vault Biles is a Yurchenko half-on featuring two twists. All of these amazing feats highlight Biles’ exceptional gymnastic skills and places her place among the best in the sport.
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