“Crazy”: Simone Biles Nailing Legendary Gymnastics Icon’s Move Has Fans Positive for Paris Olympics

Simone Biles already has five routines exclusively named after her. With four Olympic gold medals and a record 23 world championship golds, Biles has ascended to the pinnacle of gymnastics eliteness. However, much like the caption of the pilot episode of her Netflix documentary, Simone Biles reverberates the vibe, ‘Write me down in history.’ The US gymnastics queen wants to achieve a level that would look unattainable in gargantuan proportions. 

Coming back from her ‘twisties’ fiasco in Tokyo, not many took her seriously when Biles donned her glittering leotard in Antwerp 2023. Owning the sport once and for all, Biles thumped her way into the Paris Olympics 2024 as the hot favorite. But hey! She is not yet done. Probably aiming to add a sixth routine to her name, Simone Biles looks relentless in her approach—her latest moves certainly prove so!

Is Simone Biles preparing for a surprise element in Paris?

The excitement already shot through the roofs when Biles performed a near-perfect Yurchenko double pike on Thursday’s podium training. But then she reminded the audience of the Canadian gymnast Wilhelm Weiler. Required to perform a forward circling half turn on the bar following a handstand, the Weiler-Kip became one of the historically hardest elements to execute. Having performed the move several times in her career, Biles thought of pushing things a little further this time. 

Aiming to add the sixth element to her kitty, Simone Biles will attempt a clear hip circle forward with a 540-degree turn to handstand. After the news of her July 26 submission of this new skill on uneven bars was announced, to give an idea of how hard the maneuver is, the FIG Technical Committee has awarded the skill a difficulty of level E when assessed on an A to J basis. Hyping up the ante, USA Gymnastics posted a snippet of Biles performing a flawless Weiler-kip during her practice on the bars. 

Previously, the Weiler-kip was performed with a full single turn by Australian gymnast Georgia Godwin. She also went on to successfully add the element to her name. That was until Biles came up with her own variation. And as it was expected, this news has left the fans brimming with excitement. 

Fans CAN’T keep calm because Biles is back with a new element

In order to successfully own the element, Simone Biles will have to perform the move in one go without any hiccups. She is expected to go for the Weiler-kip glory in the opening rounds of her uneven bars routine. But fans do not seem to be bothered by the dynamics, as they are busy celebrating the queen. Reflecting deep confidence in Simone Biles’ abilities as a gymnast, one X user commented, “In Simone we trust.” Despite the challenges Biles faced in the Tokyo Olympics, she overcame them with great power and grabbed gold in the recent events. This might have solidified the user’s trust in Biles as they wait to watch her grab gold in Paris.

One fan also suggested that this move might be a surprise element that Biles managed to keep a secret until now. Fans were definitely not expecting her to unveil such a challenging move following her previous struggles with the ‘twisties’. The gymnastics fanatic commented, “Oh she kept this under wraps!”. However, this might not be the only surprise element that Biles might be trying to hide behind the curtains before Paris. Biles has also been training under her new French choreographer, Gregory Milan. And this might be a hint that Biles is gearing up to steal everyone’s breath away with a new floor showdown.

Highlighting Simone’s exceptional skill level, one fan added that she could easily perform the 2 1/2 twisting double back dismount on the uneven bars. They wrote, “She could also submit a easy 2 1/2 twisting double back dismount on bars too 😭”. The praises across social media reflect how Biles, despite introducing the complex Weiler Kip, can also execute technically easier maneuvers with equal finesse.

Although another user was concerned about how much such a difficult stance on the uneven bars would reflect on the scoreboard, stating, “Crazy this would only add a tenth,” referring to the fact that despite the Weiler Kip being a highly difficult move, it would only contribute a minimal increase—probably just a tenth of a point to Biles’ overall score in the games. “Simone said I can’t retire before I have a skill on each apparatus~~Queen,” added another fan. Just like the gymnastics legend has stated in her Netflix docu-series, ‘Simone Biles Rising,’ that she never wanted to end her career with the setback she faced in Tokyo, she has been proving her words true with her impeccable return. And now fans are just speculating that Biles might just etch her name in every nook and cranny of the gymnastics realm.

Thus, with things looking bright for Simone Biles, it remains to be seen what new tricks she has up her sleeves in Paris.