Would Simone Biles Revive Move That Gave Her Twisties for Paris Olympics?

Simone Biles stands as one of the most highly anticipated names for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. Three years ago, Biles exited the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, stating a lack of mental readiness to compete. This was due to the “Twisties” she experienced, which can be described as a mid-air vertigo-like phenomenon while attempting a daring move on the vault.

After an impressive comeback in 2023, the excitement to witness the gymnastics queen of the sport reclaim the pinnacle stage has fans eagerly awaiting her performance. But along with the eagerness to see Simone Biles, speculation emerged months before the games that she could revive the very move that took her out of competition back in 2021.

Simone Biles attempts the move that took her out of the 2021 Olympics

As reported by Gymnastics Now in December 2023, Simone Biles surprised everyone by posting eight new training videos on her Instagram stories months before the highly anticipated Paris Olympics in 2024. While the fact that she was already in training excited fans, what stood out was Biles flawlessly executing the Amanar, a move she hadn’t performed since the 2021 Olympics. In gymnastics, the Amanar on vault is when a gymnast does a backward handspring off the vaulting table, flips their body in a straight position, and twists two-and-a-half times before landing.

Also known as the Yurchenko 2.5, it was named after Simona Amnar, a Romanian former artistic gymnast. With difficulty and execution combined, the Amanar vault can score a maximum of 15.8, making it a highly difficult move. This move was so difficult that it even became the reason Biles withdrew from the Olympics in 2021. Let’s go back in time to understand the circumstances surrounding this pivotal decision.

How did the Amanar vault challenge the gymnastics queen?

Flashback to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles had planned to perform the Amanar vault. However, while in midair, she lost her bearings and completed only one-and-a-half twists, leading to a less-than-ideal landing. Following this, she opened up about having the “Twisties.” Biles eventually withdrew from the event, leaving the United States without their highest-scoring gymnast and creating an opportunity for the Russian team to secure the gold medal, which they ultimately did.

But now it looks like the Paris Olympics might become the stage where Biles might finally redeem herself and perform one of the most difficult moves in the sport. She already aced the Yurchenko Double Pike Vault at the 2023 World Championships, christened “Biles II” in the FIG’s Code of Points, so the question arises: will she reintroduce the Amanar, also known as the Yurchenko 2.5, in 2024? Or could we witness an entirely new move, possibly the much-anticipated “Biles III”?

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