"Because I can" - When Simone Biles opened up about reason to perform most difficult gymnastics routine

Simone Biles once revealed the reason why she attempted the most difficult routine, stating confidence in her skills. She has five gymnastics skills named after her, including two on vault, one on balance beam, and two on floor exercise.

Biles has performed a double-twisting double-tucked salto dismount on beam, a double layout salto with a half-out twist, and a triple-double on floor. The legendary gymnast performed the most difficult routine, the Yurchenko double pike on vault, which was never performed by a female gymnast and by very few men. The routine consists of a round-off onto the springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vaulting table, and a double pike salto.

Biles performed this skill for the first time at the 2021 U.S. Classic, which was her first competition since 2019. However, the skill was limited to 6.6 points, not making much difference in the points table.

In an interview with Teen Vogue in 2021, when asked why she performed such difficult routines despite the low scores, Biles stated that limiting the scoring system did not affect her, as her excellence lay far ahead of it.

“They don’t want the field to be too far apart. And that’s just something that’s on them. That’s not on me,” said Biles.

Keeping her answer straight and clear for attempting those skills, the gymnast said:

"Because I can."

Simone Biles receives a major award nomination for her all-around victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Simone Biles accepts the TIME100 Impact award during the 2025 TIME100 Gala in New York City. (Photo by Getty Images)

Simone Biles received nominations for the prestigious 2025 ESPY Award. She earned two nominations, including the best championship performance and the Best Athlete in Women's Sports. She was nominated for the best championship performance alongside Stephen Curry, Freddie Freeman, and Rory McIlroy, making her the only female athlete in the category.

The legendary gymnast earned the honor for topping the all-around event at the Paris Olympics, which she did by posting 59.131 points to surpass Rebeca Andrade and fellow team member and defending champion Suni Lee, who posted 57.932 and 56.465, respectively. Biles was nominated for the Best Athlete in Women's Sports alongside Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabby Thomas, and A'Ja Wilson.

The nomination was bestowed for her whole remarkable campaign at the Paris Olympics. The winners of the awards will be announced at the ceremony held at The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16.