For the first time, Simone Biles has successfully executed one of the hardest vaults in the world on a global platform.
Weeks after landing the Yurchenko double pike vault in the U.S. national championships, the 26-year-old gymnast pulled it off on Sunday at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
After sticking the landing, the vault is now referred to as the "Biles II." It has a round-off entry, a back handspring into the apparatus, and two flips.
It is rated 6.4 in difficulty in the world championships in Antwerp, Belgium, per NBC Sports. According to the source, the most difficult vault in the competition last year had a rating of 5.6.
For the seven-time Olympian, nailing the vault was a goal before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, she scrapped the routine in the months before the competition, citing the "risk vs. reward factor."
"Almost everything in gymnastics has been done, so there is a risk factor—risk vs. reward—when you push boundaries," she said at the time to PEOPLE. "You have to be smart because gymnastics can be a dangerous sport. I'm happy that I have excellent mentors that help me grow, be imaginative, and push limits.
A few months later, Biles withdrew from four of the five event finals in Japan in order to recuperate from "twisties," a confusing condition that athletes can have when they lose awareness of their air awareness and increase their risk of injury upon landing.