Is there not just something incredible about watching elite women athletes blow everyone’s mind with their incredible athleticism? In case you missed it, the latest almost unbelievable achievement in sport goes to US gymnast Simone Biles, who completed (though not to her own satisfaction) a move that is reported to have revolutionized gymnastics. The move is called “the triple double: a double back somersault with three twists spread out over the two flips.”
According to Slate, it is “the single most spectacular skill that any female gymnast has ever attempted, on any apparatus, in the history of the sport. It’s got an “astronomical difficulty rating” and looks almost impossible (but for the fact that she is doing it!):
From the same competition, the US Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, Biles completed a stunning and unprecedented dismount after a gripping routine on the balance beam. According to the article in Slate, Biles “destroyed a new balance beam dismount, the most difficult and daring in the history of the sport: a double-double, or a double somersault with a full twist in each flip. This is a skill that is usually reserved for the floor exercise—an apparatus that is 40 feet wide and outfitted with 11 centimeters of springs. Biles did it off the end of a lightly padded plank 4 inches wide and 4 feet off the ground, and she made it look easy.” And landed it perfectly:
This is really just an “in case you missed it post.” Simone Biles is not to be missed. Keep in mind too that she purportedly had an off-weekend, by her own lights it was not her best. She expressed disappointment over her floor routine because she didn’t complete the triple double to her own high standards. And it was all still enough to secure her first place.
Amazing.
She’s making me fall in love with gymnastics all over again. I really don’t even have a question to end on today, other than the rhetorical: “doesn’t watching Simone Biles do gymnastics make you want to watch more of Simone Biles doing gymnastics?”
Biles is unquestionably the GOAT. Naturally the haters denounce her for alleged arrogance and boasting. A man with her accomplishments would be celebrated, not attacked.
Sound familiar?
This post is like a continuation of yesterday’s on women being paid less than men in sport. I would much rather watch Simone Biles (and other gymnasts – female or male) than any of the “pro” sports. Like diving, synchronized swimming, and a few other things, these sports are hard! They require a combination of strength, speed, and fine motor skill that are unmatched by the more “popular” sports. Plus sheer nerve to pull off those incredible feats in the spaces available to them. My hear was in my throat as I watched her on the balance beam, even though I knew the ending.
She’s AMAZING, thanks for reminding me 💪🏼💪🏼