As Simone Biles Merely Misses Breakthrough, Frustrations Pile Up at Training

As the 2024 Paris Olympics approach the sporting world at the speed of light, Team USA is gearing up to bring home gold. Among the exciting array of athletes set to take on the City of Love with the utmost tenacity, one athlete is poised to make a comeback on her favorite stage. And that is none other than seven-time Olympic medalist Simone Biles.

After a thrilling 2023 gymnastics season, claiming podium after podium on the national and global stage, Simone Biles is eyeing the biggest stage of them all. Her recent gymnastics posting spree on Instagram was proof that Biles is about to pull the big guns. However, amid the rigorous training, a moment of frustration also emerged as Biles merely missed a breakthrough.

Simone Biles inches close to a breakthrough

Among the eight new training videos on her Instagram stories on December 18th, Simone Biles was about to make a massive breakthrough on the uneven bars, which has often been her Achilles heel. Biles, dressed in a grey and pink leotard, swung from bar to bar and teased a challenging connection of skills while her coach, Laurent Landi, watched on. Anticipating a flawless execution from Maloney to Shang, Coach Landi passionately cheered, “Come on, come on.”

However, she missed grasping the bar by a hair’s breadth, landing flat on the mat below. Frustrated by almost inching to the breakthrough, Landi smacked the bar while Biles looked up at her coach with a sigh as the two shared their unsaid frustrations. Despite nearly missing the perfect execution, Biles gave fans a reason for joy as she teased some gravity-defying moves on other apparatuses that she could showcase on the Olympic stage.

Could Biles showcase Biles III on Vault?

Simone Biles’ posting spree showcased some impressive skills, hinting at potential additions to her routines for the upcoming 2024 Olympics. From a laid-out double twisting-double back, the Amanar vault, which she hadn’t competed in since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and her infamous Yurchenko Double Pike Vault, aka the Biles II on vault, she even hinted at a potential Biles III on vault.

In an extremely impressive move, Simone executed a Yurchenko full-twisting double back, commonly referred to as a full-in. This added another layer of complexity to her vault repertoire, as did the speculation about the possibility of a new skill. After showcasing her skills on uneven bars with Zoe Miller as her judge, she even paid homage to German gymnast Pauline Schaefer by successfully executing the Schaefer on the balance beam.

Read more: “So Tricky”: As Olympics Near, Simone Biles Gets Stumped on the Gymnastics Stage

As the artistic gymnastics event at the 2024 Paris Olympics is slated from July 27th to August 5th, 2024, fans await a thrilling spectacle from the most decorated gymnast, Simone Biles. Will she add an eighth Olympic medal to her collection? Only time will tell.

Watch this story: Facts about Simone Biles that prove she’s the GOAT in more ways than one