Simone Biles announced on Monday that she will no longer perform the Biles II, a Yurchenko double pike. Tom Weller/VOIGT/Getty Images
The Olympic gold medalist is making good on her word to avoid the dangerous routine.
The most decorated gymnast in history is officially retiring one of her signature moves. On Monday, Simone Biles took to Instagram to bid farewell to the Yurchenko double pike, which earned her a gold medal at the Paris Olympics this year. In the photos captioned “rest in peace yurchenko double pike,” Biles sits atop a gymnastics vault with all white athleisure, surrounded by white flowers. Also known as the Biles II, the difficult vault routine involves a round-off entry onto the springboard followed by a back-handspring onto the vaulting table. From there, Biles performs two flips with her body in a pike position.
In 2021, Biles became the first woman to add a second flip to the standard vault, elevating its difficulty. It’s considered one of the most dangerous moves for any athlete to attempt, assigned a difficulty score of 6.4, the highest in the women’s sport. In 2021, the New York Times described the move as “so perilous and challenging that no other woman has attempted it in competition, and it is unlikely that any woman in the world is even training to give it a try.” In her Netflix docuseries Simone Biles: Rising, the Spring native admitted she still finds the vault skill frightening despite performing it so many times. “It’s just scary. And it’s every time you do it, you’re scared,” she said.
Biles nailed her iconic move at this year’s Paris Olympics, despite competing with a calf injury. Afterward, the talented athlete said she would avoid performing it in the future. When asked if the event had been the final vault of her career, Biles answered: “Is this my last? Definitely the Yurchenko double pike. I mean, I kind of nailed that one. Never say never. The next Olympics is at home. So you just never know.”
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In response to Biles’ Monday announcement, fans expressed their support. “You have nothing to prove to anyone. Happy that you do not have to stand, terrified, on that runway ever again…” read one comment under her post. Others applauded the athlete’s sense of humor. “OMG you just threw a funeral/eulogized your vault. I am deceased…(and making good on your word that you’re not doing it again lol)” read another comment. “Gone, but literally never forgotten,” wrote the official account of USA Gymnastics. “I’m dead. You win (obvi)” wrote veteran gymnast Nastia Liukin.
The Biles II is just one of five gymnastic elements named after the Olympic gold medalist. Others include “The Biles” on the Floor, “The Biles II” on the Floor, “The Biles” on the beam, and “The Biles” on the vault. Biles has a total of 11 Olympic medals: seven gold, two silver, and two bronze. At the Paris Olympics this year, she picked up four medals: three gold in the vault, all-around and team events, and a silver in the floor final.
