Simone Biles before landing her deadly double Yurchenko.
(Photo by Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
(CNN) -
World title defending gymnast Simone Biles became the first woman to perform the Yurchenko double somersault in competition at the GK US Classic in Indianapolis on Saturday.
The Yurchenko double somersault — a high-difficulty technique that historically only men had performed — consists of a somersault on the trampoline, followed by a backhand jump on the jump table, ending with a double somersault in the air until the landing.
Biles, 24, performed the move, then added two extra jumps for a slightly imperfect landing.
The first woman in history to land a Yurchenko double pike in competition.
Our jaws are on the floor.
@Simone_Biles is still in the air.
#USClassic pic.twitter.com/CmJYRidtfo
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- Team USA (@TeamUSA) May 23, 2021
“I was just thinking, 'Do it as a workout.
Don't try to exaggerate anything, '”Biles said,“ because I have a tendency, as soon as I raise my hand, to exaggerate things, and I did it a little bit, but at least I was on my feet.
It is a new jump and I am proud of how it was solved today.
This is how they protest against the Olympic Games in Tokyo, as the covid-19 pandemic worsens in Japan
Simone Biles, 'the GOAT', defends her title
Biles competed in a leotard decorated with a rhinestone goat, a possible hint of her claim as the GOAT (which in English means 'the best of all time').
Simone Biles turns during the GK US Classic competition in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday.
Overall, the four-time Olympic gold medalist successfully defended her GK US Classic all-around title with a score of 58,400.
It was his first competition in over a year and a half.
Biles got the highest score on both the balance beam and the floor exercise.
Jordan Chiles, 20, of Spring, Texas, finished second in the all-around with 57,100 points, and Kayla DiCello, 17, of Boyds, Maryland, was third with 56,100.
Following the postponement due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics will begin at the end of July, as long as there is no further postponement or cancellation.
The American Olympic team tryouts will be held June 24-27 in St. Louis.
CNN's Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
GymnasticsSimone Biles