ANTWERP, Belgium — Simone Biles advanced to every individual final at the world gymnastics championships, and she earned the top qualifying score in the all-around, as well as on three of the four apparatuses

Simone Biles, one of the most celebrated gymnasts in the world, made an outstanding comeback to the sport in 2023 after an absence of almost two years. She participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials, where she won a place on the USA team for the World Championship. In doing so, she became the first American to participate in six world championships.

At the World Championships held in Eindhoven, Netherlands, Simone Biles proved her mettle yet again by showcasing her exceptional skills and abilities on the mat. In the qualifiers for the vault competition, she achieved a remarkable feat by performing the “Yurchenko Double Pike,” a challenging skill that no other female gymnast had ever accomplished. This move involves performing a roundoff onto the springboard, a back handspring onto the vault table, and then executing two complete backward flips with her legs kept straight until her feet hit the mat.

Simone’s achievement was so remarkable that the move will now be named after her, following the tradition of naming new skills after the athlete who achieves them. This is already the second vault skill named after Simone Biles, with the first being the “Biles” move she performed during the 2018 World Championships. Her latest achievement will be known as “Biles II,” it has already been recognized as one of the most difficult vaults ever performed in women’s gymnastics.

Biles has had five different skills named after her – two on the vault, two on the floor, and one on the beam. The most challenging jump is the “Yurchenko double pike,” which has never been awarded before and is scored with 6.4 points.

Biles scored 15,266 points on the vault and a total of 58,865 in the all-around competition.

Simone Biles announced her return to the world stage in some style on Sunday as she sits in first place in the women’s all-around qualification at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and became the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault at an international competition.

Biles stepped up to the vault, launched high into the air, twisting in angular blue blur, and landed with just a single backwards step to make history.

That feat ensured the skill will now be named the Biles II in honor of the 19-time world champion, making it her fifth named element.

A high-difficulty skill historically only done by men, the element is a roundoff onto the springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vaulting table, ending with a piked double backflip into the air to landing.

She posted an all-around score of 58.865 to sit in first place at the end of her qualifying session, and in a commanding position to reach all four individual finals and the all-around final later in the week.

After her qualifying round, the 26-year-old sits in first place on three pieces of apparatus – floor, vault and balance beam – and second on the uneven bars, behind teammate Shilese Jones.

The US as a team posted an impressive qualifying score of 171.395, and though most other teams are yet to complete their own qualifying round, it seems virtually assured that the Americans will reach the team final given that their total bested the 167.263 that saw them qualify in first place last year.

It is Biles’ first competition back on the world stage since the Tokyo 2020 Games when she pulled out of several events suffering from what is known as the “twisties” – a mental block causing a gymnast to lose track of their positions in midair.

Since then, she has once again displayed all the qualities that have carried her to the pinnacle of the sport, coming back to win a record eighth national all-around title.

And by competing in Antwerp, Biles became the first woman to represent the US at six artistic world championships.

Meanwhile, the US men’s gymnastics team secured its spot in the team competition at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris by qualifying for the team final in second place behind Japan.

Simone Biles showcased her exceptional vault effortlessly at the 2023 World Gymnastics Championship’s opening day. She made history as the first woman to successfully perform the Yurchenko double pike vault in an international competition. Biles earned a score of 15.266 achieving is a testament to her unparalleled skills and dedication. In the world of gymnastics, the Yurchenko Double Pike is said to be the most challenging vault.

Simon Biles aced the YDP in the Gymnastics world

The Yurchenko Double Pike is notorious for its complexity and danger. To perform it, gymnasts must generate immense power off the vaulting table. They need to launch into the air and execute two pike rotations with precision. The risk lies in the potential for severe injuries, especially if the landing goes awry. Natalia Yurchenko was the first gymnast to perform this vault at the 1982 Moscow News competition. She won the last year’s International Gymnastics Federation at the World Cup. Because of the 1984 Olympic Games boycott, Yurchenko never had the opportunity to compete with her invention at the Olympics.

Simone Biles enjoyed a virtual sweep in qualifying at the Gymnastics World Championships on Monday, further burying the nightmare she experienced at the Tokyo Olympics.

The United States superstar took top spot in the all-around, vault, beam and floor and appears certain to comfortably add to her 25 world championship medals made up of 19 gold, three silver and three bronze.

The only athlete to get the better of her on Monday was 16-year-old Qiu Qiyuan of China on the uneven bars.

In total, Biles has 58.865 points for a two-point lead over compatriot Shilese Jones (56.932) and Jessica Gadirova of Britain (56.766). Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, the revelation of the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, took fourth place with 56.599 points.

Biles’ only disappointment came on the uneven bars where she was fifth after being penalised for a fall.

“I don’t know, it happens in gymnastics,” she said. “You have to think quickly so as not to forget the sequences.

“I recovered well and that’s the most important thing.”

On Sunday, 26-year-old Biles made history by becoming the first female gymnast to execute a “Yurchenko double pike vault” – now renamed “Biles II” – during women’s team qualifying.

A four-gold Olympic champion, the American made headlines at the Tokyo Games when she withdrew from multiple events due to the “twisties”, a loss of spatial awareness in mid-air, which is an experience that can be terrifying for even the most experienced gymnasts.

She took a lengthy two-year break and returned to action only at the beginning of August, but demonstrated that she had lost none of her incredible level.

She won the US Classic, where she obtained the best scores on vault, floor and beam, followed by a record eighth US all-around title at the national championships.

However, Biles has not competed at the worlds since the 2019 edition in Stuttgart, where she earned five golds and had new skills named after her when she successfully landed her signature moves.

The 2024 Paris Olympics are her ultimate target but she also said that she will approach her third Games a bit differently, focusing on being fully fit both physically and mentally.

“I think I’ve always had the competitive drive, so I don’t think that taking the time off taught me a lot about the competitive side of me,” she said in August.

“I think it was more about the personal side and getting to truly take care of myself mentally and physically and make sure everything is in tune, so that whenever I am competing everything goes well.”

Before Paris, though, her focus is on the world championships and on Wednesday she will go for a first gold in Antwerp in the women’s team event. AFP, REUTERS