Simone Biles returned to the world stage on Sunday by winning the women's all-around qualifying at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and became the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault.
Biles vaulted, whirling in angular blue blur, and landed with a single reverse stride to create history.
That achievement earned the talent the moniker Biles II, her sixth element, after the 19-time world champion.
A roundoff into the springboard, a back handspring onto the vaulting table, and a piked double backflip into the air to land is a challenging technique traditionally exclusively done by males.
She finished first in qualifying with an all-around score of 58.865, putting her in a strong position to reach all four individual finals and the all-around final later in the week.
After her qualifying round, the 26-year-old leads floor, vault, and balancing beam and trails colleague Shilese Jones on uneven bars.
The US team posted an impressive qualifying score of 171.395, and while most other teams have yet to complete their qualifying round, it seems almost certain that the Americans will reach the team final after beating 167.263 last year.
After her qualifying round, the 26-year-old leads floor, vault, and balancing beam and trails colleague Shilese Jones on uneven bars.
The US team posted an impressive qualifying score of 171.395, and while most other teams have yet to complete their qualifying round, it seems almost certain that the Americans will reach the team final after beating 167.263 last year.