She has one of the most difficult skills in her kitty when it comes to the vaults. That might keep Simone Biles ahead of the competition but not above it altogether. Here comes the Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, who is probably the biggest threat to the GOAT status of Simone Biles. At the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Andrade already sent shivers by defeating Simone in the vault despite the latter getting the dreaded Yurchenko Double Pike named after her (Biles II). Andrade surely would look forward to repeating the feat in Paris and keeping the weapons to achieve this a secret till the last moment definitely gives an edge. But has Andrade lost it?

A recent sneak peek into Rebeca Andrade’s training has raised such doubts. On July 8, a clip by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) showcased Andrade attempting the Triple Twisting Yurchenko (TTY) vault. Even though we don’t see her landing in the 3-second snippet, her run-up and dismount are evident. Within moments, the clip became ‘viral’. This drew the ire of the Brazilian Gymnastics Confederation (CBG) since the difficult vault was meant to be kept under wraps, only to reveal it closer to the Olympics. But why this secrecy?

According to a report by UOL.com, the CBG had a plan to publicize the vault, revealing only the fact that Rebeca now has a vault with a higher degree of difficulty. Understandably, that is a strategy to build pressure on the rivals that prominently feature Simone Biles. After all, Andrade has to defeat Simone on the grandest stage to establish her superiority. Although she picked up the vault gold in Tokyo, that did not have Simone Biles. Releasing the clip of it beat the purpose, according to CBG. But the difficulty part is not the only catch of the move.

No female gymnast has ever successfully completed the vault in an international competition. People’s Republic of Korea’s Hong Un Jong attempted it in the 2016 Rio Olympics final, but she fell while executing it. Interestingly, Simone, in the past, has also been framed to practice the vault in training. But she never performed it in any competition. But where does the TTY stand in comparison to Simone’s signature Yurchenko Double Pike (YDP)?

A Yurchenko is a round-off onto the springboard and a back handspring onto the vault. In Simone’s YDP, “double” refers to her two flips in the air, and “pike” is the positioning of her body. A pike refers to a gymnast folding her body at her hips and keeping her legs straight while grabbing them. The difficulty of the vault stems from the fact that not fully finishing the second flip might make a gymnast land on her head.

The International Gymnastics Federation has awarded the Yurchenko double pike a difficulty score of 6.4. This means a vault with a perfect execution would earn a 16.4. No vault in the women’s Code of Points has a higher value.

The TTY is a round-off onto the springboard, back handspring onto the vaulting platform, and then 3/1 twists into a layout back to salto off the table. But the vault is not yet in the International Code of Points. So let us make an assumption.

Women at the international elite level perform the double-twisting Yurchenko, which carries a 5.0 difficulty score. The 2 1/2 twist Yurchenko-the Amanar is rated 5.4. With an extra half-twist, this is harder than Amanar which will add to the difficulty. So it might bring Andrade a difficulty value of 5.8. Understandably, that is significantly less than YDP. But if reports are to be believed, the 2x world vault champion may also be trying to pull off a Cheng with an extra full twist that would likely match the difficulty of Biles II.

This immense difficulty value gives Simone Biles some room for error, meaning thereby, even with some deductions, she can get away with a score that places her way ahead of others. Despite that, in the 2023 worlds, she had to bow down to Andrade. She fell during the YDP which cost her a one-point deduction. On top of it, she incurred a mandatory half-point deduction for her coach standing on the podium. With such a history of rivalry, Andrade’s ‘leaked’ clip has already let the mercury soaring. However, there is a concern for Andrade.

Rebeca has had recurring episodes of ACL tears in the past. And the TTY is believed to be somewhat hard on the knees. But the Olympian is no stranger to adversity. “I’ve overcome a lot of things, and each time I overcame something tough, I was more determined to come back; I wanted to win even more.” But being so hungry for a win, she has a high regard for her biggest competitor.

Foes on the mat, friends off it

On the mats, Rebeca Andrade and Simone Biles do not leave an inch to each other. But that isn’t the case off the mats, according to both the elite gymnasts. On several occasions, Andrade has often shown her love for the GOAT. “I admire her for being such an amazing role model to younger gymnasts too.” Simone Biles reciprocated this by “passing the torch” when she placed a crown on Andrade’s head at the 2023 World Championship podium.

Both the Olympians have had nothing but love for each other. However, they both believe that when they step on the mat, it is game on. Andrade has noted how it is always an honor performing alongside the most decorated female gymnast. When asked if she is looking forward to locking horns with Biles in Paris, she exclaimed, “I think it’s going to be so cool, for real!”

With just 16 days to go, Rebeca Andrade is all set to step on to the world’s biggest stage. “I think the main thing is to arrive at the competition, do my best and be very happy. Because the only person I can control is myself.” While many are still unsure if the Triple Twisting Yurchenko (TTY) will make an appearance at the French capital, one thing’s for sure: We will get to witness an extraordinary battle between Andrade and Biles. Will you be watching?