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Debate

Did Simone Biles' fear hold her back, or did it make her the GOAT we admire today?

Is there anything Simone Biles cannot do? Defeating the ‘twisties’? Check. Making it big in her Olympic redemption year? Check. And being one of the most decorated Olympic gymnasts ever? Well, tick that too. But there is one thing that the all-time great Biles has yet to do: Well, she has 5 moves named after her on three apparatuses: Floor Exercise, Vault, and the Balance Beam. However, she has yet to have a namesake skill on the Uneven Bars. More so, it is the only event where she hasn’t already grabbed a world or Olympic title.

Well, as per Biles’ first coach, Aimee Boorman, she had some struggles with this apparatus as an early gymnast. As per Olympic.com, Boorman mentioned how Simone Biles could just not get the hang of it when she started. “I think the skill that stands out the most was her learning a Tkatchev on bars. I feel like that took 17 years,” Boorman mentioned. The core issue being, “She could throw it, but she could never catch it because her timing wasn’t right, like her quickness and power weren’t matching up with the small detail of it.”

via Reuters

However, Simone Biles is not one to give up. On top of it, she had a veteran suggest a trick, which turned the tables completely. Per Boorman, former U.S. junior champion Lexie Priesman advised her, “Just try to land on the bar and then you’ll catch it,’ and so she did, and it worked.” And the rest was, well, history.

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Biles’ recent performance demonstrates how her uneven bar skills have improved substantially. Taking to the bars in the Team’s finals at Bercy Arena, Biles kicked off her routine by nailing a Weiler half to Maloney. This was followed by a blind full, a piked Tkachev, and Pak. Towards the end, the execution of her Van Leeuwen had some leg form. But her double-double and landing earned her a 14.400.

And shortly, it is also possible that the all-time great is eyeing rewriting history once again. It looks like she wants one move on each apparatus to be named after her.

Is Biles aiming for an eponymous skill on each apparatus?

As per the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), Biles has recently submitted a new element for evaluation on the bars. The Weiler Kip, with a one-and-a-half pirouette. Taking to X, Scott Bregman had added, “Is a sixth named element incoming for Simone Biles?” Well, possibly. But Biles has yet to execute it on an international stage.

What’s your perspective on:

Did Simone Biles' fear hold her back, or did it make her the GOAT we admire today?

Have an interesting take?

Named after Wilhelm Weiler, the move seems quite intense, though. One that will stand a test of Biles’ uneven bars fluency. Its successful execution would require her to circle forward around the bar first. and then pull off a handstand. Indeed, the intensity also reflects in its score, as the element also has a value of D. And should Simone Biles pull it off in her upcoming all-around finals, it will be a grand finish to her routine. What do you think? Is a Weiler Kip coming up in the finals?