The Biles

Simone Biles started gymnastics at 6 years old. Seventeen years later, she is the most decorated gymnast in American history, and she revolutionized modern day gymnastics. The new skills she created  motivate other gymnasts to add more difficulty to their routines.

    Simone Biles debuted her first original skill at the 2013 World Championships. She performed a double flipping layout with a half twist on floor exercise. This was also the year that she became the first African-American athlete to win the All-Around gold medal in the world championships (Mead). Biles didn’t coin another skill until the 2018 World Championships. This skill was a “Yurchenko half on with two twists”(Skills Named for US Gymnasts), meaning she did a roundoff back-handspring with a half twist and after she pushed off of the vault table, she completed two more full twists. Then at the World Championships the following year, she produced two more skills under her name. The first was on floor, it was a double flip in a tuck position with 3 full rotations around. The other was on beam, it was a dismount with two flips in the tuck position with two full rotations. According to Wyne Davis, a gymnast must submit their move for consideration and successfully land it in a competition in order for that skill to be named after them, which is why these skills were not officially created until Biles competed them.

    These skills are why Simone Biles has “changed how other gymnasts approach the floor exercise, both in and out of the US” (Schuman). With the introduction of the first skill in 2013, her second in 2018, and the last two in 2019, Simone Biles has transformed the expectations of gymnasts, coaches, and judges alike. These skills add variety and difficulty to the code of points, and push other gymnasts and coaches to strive for the same difficulty Biles is competing at.