No matter how much you know about gymnastics, everyone knows Simone Biles. Known as the GOAT in the gymnastics world, she has broken countless records and currently has five skills named after her. To get a skill named after them, a gymnast must successfully land the skill in competition at a world-championship-level meet.
- The Biles On floor
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The first skill she got in the rulebook, the original Biles, is a double layout with a half twist at the end on Floor Exercise.
Known as a very common college and elite-level skill, the double layout is something very few gymnasts will ever compete in. For someone like Simone Biles, this skill was simply too easy, so she added a twist to bring it to her level. She continues adding to the skill and has completed it with a front layout added at the end.
Difficulty Value: G
(Difficulty levels in gymnastics are on an alphabetical scale, with A-level skills being the easiest.)
- The Biles II on Floor
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This skill is a triple twisting double back on Floor Exercise (two flips and 3 twists in a tucked position). She first successfully completed it in 2019, and before then, this skill had only ever previously been done by men.
Difficulty value: J
- The Biles on Beam
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This skill is a dismount off of Balance Beam, a double twisting double back (two flips and two twists in a tucked position).
There was a lot of controversy surrounding this skill, as many people believed it should have been given a higher difficulty score. The reason USA Gymnastics gave for lowballing was because they didn’t want to encourage other people to attempt the skill without the proper training (which, in my opinion, is a terrible excuse).
Difficulty value: H
- The Biles on Vault
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Her first vault skill is a roundoff entry with a half turn onto the vault table and two full twists off. This skill is unique because of the half turn onto the vault table, as most roundoff entry vaults continue to go backward onto the table.
Difficulty value: 6.0
(Vault skills are given a numerical difficulty value to be added to the artistry score given.)
- The Biles II on Vault
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Her most recent mind-boggling skill, the Yurchenko double pike, was officially given the name Biles II in 2023. This skill involves a roundoff back handspring entry onto the vault and two flips off in a piked position. She was the first woman to land this skill successfully, and it’s currently the most challenging vault skill in the women’s rulebook.
Difficulty value: 6.4
It’s impressive for a gymnast to create one skill and get it in the rulebook. That Simone Biles has managed to do it five times shows her incredible talent.
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