For Simone Biles, simply being a gymnast was never the goal—she aimed to redefine the sport and inspire generations. Think back to the 2013 World Championships. A teenage Biles, fresh off her national title, stepped onto the floor, ready to leave her mark. As she launched into the air, she executed a breathtaking tumbling pass, capping it off with a double layout and a daring half-twist. The move was electrifying. It was risky. It was revolutionary. With that final twist, Biles was essentially flying blind, relying on instinct to stick the landing. She and her then-coach, Aimee Boorman, had crafted the skill to ease the impact on her legs. The skill was forever etched into gymnastics history as the “Biles I.” Since Biles, just three other women had completed the skill successfully—until Friday.

“Biles I” is officially recognized as a “double layout with a half twist.” It requires an athlete to complete two full laid-out flips while finishing the second with a 180-degree rotation. If this sounds difficult, it is even harder when it comes to execution. A blind landing that can go awry. But one Clemson gymnast made it look easy and grabbed the attention of Simone Biles.

The Clemson crowd held its breath as the Tigers gymnast sprinted down the runway, launched into the air, and stuck the impossible. That trailblazer? Brie Clark. The Clemson redshirt junior delivered the performance of her life at Littlejohn Coliseum, leaving the crowd in awe in a dominant win over Texas Woman’s University and the University of New Hampshire. Clark has been a standout for the budding ACC program and on Friday she etched her name in the NCAA record books as she became the first gymnast to successfully complete the skill in NCAA gymnastics history. Impressed by her feat, Biles showered her with praise.

Simone Biles took to Instagram Story to share the video of Clark’s landing and in the caption wrote, “I KNOW THAT’S RIGHT (clap emoji).” But, in case you think Biles was done, you are wrong!

Biles didn’t stop at that, as she wrote “congrats (emojis)” in the comment section of the reel shared by the Clemson Gymnastics page. The said reel featured Clark’s performance brilliantly executing Biles I skill. The 11x Olympic medalist went on to drop a second comment, which read, “& closing out black history month! YES MA’AM(emoji) iktr!!!!!!” Biles is ecstatic at seeing how flawlessly Clark executed one of the toughest skills in gymnastics today. Biles’ comments overwhelmed Clark who couldn’t stop sharing her excitement.

In a reel posted by Planetofgymnastics, we see the moment when someone showed her the video of her performance, followed by Biles’ comments. A naturally surprised Clark was left jaw-dropped as she yelled out, “Twice!…Like, she knows I exist.” The two-time 2024 ACC specialist of the week shared the news with her friend, who was out with her. “Tara! Simone commented twice!” she said, visibly excited and jumping with joy.

Clark executed the move with full power in the tumbling pass, landing the first of its kind in women’s NCAA competition. With this, she joined an elite club of those who have performed the move, led by Biles, Trinity Thomas (USA), Hillary Heron (PAN), and London Phillips (USA).

Despite this, Clark finished eighth on floor on Friday due to a landing error. Still, she has been a leading contributor for the Clemson Tigers in their second year as an accredited division I gymnastics program. Last year, Clark received the first 10.0 in Clemson history (from one judge) in her win at Air Force.

Heading into tonight, Clark had been nothing short of spectacular, scoring 9.90 or higher in each of her last five floor routines. But long before she became a standout at Clemson’s inaugural gymnastics program, she was already turning heads at Utah State University.

As a freshman, Clark didn’t just make an impact—she made history. She was one of only four first-year gymnasts to earn Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-American honors on floor, boasting a school-record National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 9.940. From the very start, she proved she wasn’t just good—she was exceptional.

12 years after Simone Biles shocked the world at the Worlds in Antwerp, Belgium, Clark has followed in the footsteps of the GOAT with an exceptional performance to land the “Biles I.”

But what makes performing ‘The Biles I’ so exceptional? Unlike a regular double layout, where gymnasts rotate twice before landing, this version demands something extra—a half-twist added while still in the second flip. That means Clark wasn’t spotting the floor until the very last millisecond. One miscalculation? A crash landing. One hesitation? Disaster.

Yet, when Brie Clark launched into the skill, there was no doubt. She twisted, she flipped, and when did her feet hit the mat? Just perfection. Her delight at seeing Biles’ appreciation is heartwarming and she will know that there is a long way to go for her to emulate Biles down the line.

As many gymnast fans would know, Biles has four more eponymous skills that she has developed over the years.

Five iconic Gymnastics elements that bear Simone Biles’ name

There’s something special about a gymnast pushing the limits of human possibility, defying gravity, and stamping their name into history—literally! Simone Biles has done that not once, not twice, but five times! Five skills across different events have her name on them, a feat that strengthens her as the GOAT. But what makes these skills so special? And how did she get them?

The Biles I (Floor Exercise)

It was 2013. A 16-year-old Simone Biles stepped onto the World Championship stage, a newbie to many but already a big deal. Then she did something no one had ever seen before—soared through a double layout, twisted in mid-air, and landed with precision. The crowd gasped, the judges took note, and they forever named the skill the Biles I.

A double layout with a half twist on the second flip—this was her signature—power, control, and innovation. It was the first skill to bear her name, but as history would prove, it was just the beginning.

The Biles I (Vault)

Fast forward to 2018. Biles, now already a legend, debuted a new vault at the World Championships. This vault starts with a roundoff on the springboard, a half-twist before mounting, and finishes with a front somersault, double twist. The judges again took note. The world took note. It was given a difficulty rating of 6.0.

The Biles (Balance Beam)

The balance beam is where gymnasts show their grace under pressure. But Biles? She turned it into a legit show! She did a skill that looked almost impossible—a double-twisting double-flip dismount, the hardest beam dismount ever done at the time. Biles first unveiled this skill in 2019 before performing it at the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. According to USA Today, she no longer competes in the Biles beam due to its low scoring value. FIG’s decision to assign an H difficulty rating sparked controversy, with many arguing it was undervalued.

The Biles II (Vault)

What’s harder than a Yurchenko vault? A Yurchenko double pike—a move so dangerous no woman had ever attempted it. Until Simone Biles. At the 2021 US Classic, she surprised the world by completing this impossible skill. Two pike flips after launching off the vault? Unthinkable—until she did it. She made history again in 2023 when she landed it at the World Championships and officially put her name on the hardest vault in women’s gymnastics.

The Biles II (Floor Exercise)

How do you make a difficult tumbling pass even harder? Biles found a way. In 2019, she debuted the triple twisting double backflip, with three twists mid-air, a move so hard only a handful of male gymnasts had done it before. When she did it at the World Championships, the move got the highest rating of any skill in women’s artistic gymnastics—J-level difficulty.

Is Simone Biles still left to add more moves? Or is he done? We are rooting for the former case, but what are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments down below!