These Are All the Gymnastics Moves Named After Simone Biles

Simone Biles heads into her third Olympics in Paris as not only the most decorated gymnast on the planet but the only one with five skills named after her. The official International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Code of Points, which lists all of the skills gymnasts perform and assigns a point value to each, names skills after gymnasts only if they successfully execute them at a major international competition, including the Olympics. Most of the skills named after Biles came about after either she or her coaches thought she could add one more twist or one more flip or give herself a little more of a challenge. Given the routines she competed with to make the Olympic team, we’re likely to see most, if not all, of these skills at Bercy Arena in Paris. Here’s a rundown of all her signature skills to look for as she competes.

Floor

Biles (double layout with half twist)

This is the first skill that was named after her when she performed it at the 2013 world championships. For this move, Biles flips twice in the air, with her body in an elongated position. Before landing, she adds a half twist, which means she can’t see where she will land. Her former coach Aimee Boorman said Biles has a good “air sense” that makes the blind landing no problem.

Biles II (double backflip, triple twist)

To complete this skill, Biles flips backward twice in the air while simultaneously twisting three times. It requires a tremendous amount of power to propel her high enough into the air to complete all that tumbling in time. But knowing the power and lift she can achieve on floor, Biles’ coach persuaded her to try adding another flip. “He said, ‘I think you can do another twist, let’s just play with it and in a few months, I think this might come easily,’” Biles said before the Tokyo Olympics. He was right, and when she performs this skill, it’s a crowd-pleaser since she launches herself 12 feet into the air. It’s been named after her since she completed it at the 2019 world championships.

Balance beam

Biles (double twisting, double backflip dismount)

Biles also brings her tremendous flipping skills to the balance beam, with a double-double dismount that other Olympic champions still can’t believe. Biles flips twice while simultaneously twisting twice. When she first performed it at the world championships in 2019, the judges were so concerned about the danger involved with the skill that they downgraded its value in an attempt to discourage other gymnasts from trying it. Biles immediately took issue and filed a protest, calling the decision “bullsh-t” on social media. She also pointed out with her typical candor that “they had an open-ended code of points and now they’re mad that people are too far ahead and excelling.” It didn’t discourage Biles, who has since made it a signature element in her beam routine.

Vault

Biles (Yurchenko half-on with two twists)

The Yurchenko is hard enough—it’s a connected series of skills that starts with a roundoff into a back handspring onto vault. From there, Biles literally flies. She does a half turn and then twists twice before landing. This vault, which Biles first completed in international competition at the 2018 world championships, has such a high difficulty rating because of the power and precision it takes to complete the twists and land safely.

Biles II (Yurchenko double pike)

Biles is the only female gymnast competing this vault; not even most male gymnasts perform it. She successfully landed it at the 2023 world championships when it became the Biles II. To complete it, Biles does a roundoff into a back handspring on the vault, pushing herself high enough in the air to complete two flips in the pike position, with legs extended forward, before landing.