The five-time Olympic medalist became the first woman to perfect the triple-twist, double-flip move in her first pass on floor.
By Jenna Amatulli, Huffington Post
Simone Biles just can’t stop flipping herself into the record books.
On Saturday at the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championship in Kansas City, Missouri, the five-time Olympic medalist made history, becoming the first gymnast to land a double-twisting, double somersault dismount from the balance beam in a match.
She did herself one better on Sunday, becoming the first woman to perfect the triple-twist, double-flip move in her first pass on floor.
Simone Biles hits the unprecedented triple-double on floor exercise. pic.twitter.com/L5fu3OoiOm
— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) August 12, 2019
In case you need to see this expertise again in slow motion, here it is:
Simone Biles, in extreme slow motion. pic.twitter.com/mjdYp0zwkv
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) August 12, 2019
The 22-year-old had tried the move in preliminaries on Friday and didn’t exactly nail it. After shorting on the triple-twist, double-flip, she told ESPN: “I still get really frustrated because I know how good I am and how well I can do. So I just want to do the best routine for the audience and for myself out here.”
Biles’ nailing the tricky move on Sunday made her the first female gymnast to land two new moves in competition and her sixth title at the championships, tying Clara Schroth Lomady’s record set in 1952.
If Biles throws either one of her history-making moves at October’s world championships, it will be named after her.
Here’s what social media had to say about Biles’ record-setting weekend:
Simone Biles keeps making a case as the greatest athlete on the planet…. https://t.co/5rYXJBlMJQ
— Jason Gay (@jasongay) August 12, 2019
sometimes i'm like oh man being a comedy writer is so hard all the jokes have been done and then simone biles is just out there inventing new gymnastics???
— Rachel Wenitsky (@RachelWenitsky) August 12, 2019
Incredible to watch @Simone_Biles do this in slow motion. I would call it magic but that wouldn’t give her credit for years of hard work and dedication. pic.twitter.com/WsFP7vAjzz
— Yashar Ali 🐘 یاشار (@yashar) August 12, 2019
Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast in human history.pic.twitter.com/5P37Uqkxxx
— Scary Dunleavy 🎃👻 (@JerryDunleavy) August 12, 2019
At the peak of her floor routine Simone Biles is close to 10 feet off the mat, two feet higher than the high jump world record. pic.twitter.com/b3VOGtQL8N
— Bradford Pearson (@BradfordPearson) August 12, 2019
Just when you thought Simone Biles couldn’t get any better… she does.
What an amazing athlete.
Proud that she’s a Texan. https://t.co/XKU0HAJiRA
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 12, 2019
This article originally appeared in the Huffington Post.
