Simone Biles rallies behind a rare gymnastics maneuver that is seemingly disappearing from gymnastics mat

Artistic Gymnastics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 10 - Source: Getty
Simone Biles at the Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Image by Getty)

Simone Biles is rightfully known as the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in gymnastics. The legendary gymnast has left her mark on each apparatus by performing a few difficult routines, including the Yurchenko double pike on the vault.

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She recently drew attention to a difficult gymnastics routine that is gradually disappearing from the sport. Biles highlighted the Amanar on vault, a routine named after former Romanian gymnast Simona Amanar. The move includes the gymnast performing a round-off onto the springboard, then a back handspring onto the vaulting table. It is followed by the gymnast launching into the air and performing 2½ twists in a laid-out position before making the landing.

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The routine is nearly vanishing from the sport, with the most recent sighting seen in 2012 and 2016, performed by Gabby Douglas and Laurie Hernandez, respectively. However, Biles, who has achieved a feat beyond the move by performing the Yurchenko double pike, took to social media to express her love for the apparatus and wrote:

"me🤝🏾amanar."
"My faavvvv," she added.
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Simone Biles performed the Yurchenko double pike for the first time at the 2021 GK U.S. Classic in Indianapolis, which was her first competition since 2019. She became the first female gymnast to perform the vault routine in a competition. The routine was named Biles II. The gymnast executed the move three times in a competition, including the 2023 U.S. Classic and the 2023 U.S. Championships.

Simone Biles' former coach Cecile Landi once opened up about gymnast's ability to perform difficult skills

 Simone Biles with coach Cecile Landi during the Olympic Games in Paris.(Photo via Getty Images)
Simone Biles with coach Cecile Landi during the Olympic Games in Paris.(Photo via Getty Images)

In an interview with espn.in (in 2021), Simone Biles' former coach Cecile Landi opened up about the gymnast's incredible ability to perform difficult skills, stating she has the right physical and mental capacity, which she believes is unlikely in most of the other gymnasts. The former coach also hinted at the possibility of no other gymnast achieveing the level of excellence as Biles.

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"It took a long time for Simone to become comfortable doing it and it is still a vault that is very dangerous. A coach will have to find an athlete that is physically and mentally extremely strong, and once you have that combination, it's doable. But I do not see anyone right now who will be able to successfully compete it. I honestly don't know if I will ever see it again."

After performing the Yurchenko double pike three times, Biles said farewell to the routine in 2024.

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Edited by Janhavi Shinde
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