One of the most eagerly awaited athletes for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is Simone Biles. Biles withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, citing a lack of mental preparation for the competition. This resulted from the “Twisties,” a condition she had when trying a risky vault technique. It’s best described as a vertigo-like feeling in midair.
Fans are anticipating the gymnastics queen of the sport’s return to the pinnacle stage with great anticipation, following an amazing comeback in 2023. In addition to the excitement surrounding Simone Biles, there was conjecture months prior to the competition that she would bring back the technique that disqualified her from competition in 2021.
Months before the eagerly awaited Paris Olympics in 2024, Simone Biles shocked everyone by sharing eight brand-new training videos on her Instagram stories, as reported by Gymnastics Now in December 2023. Fans were pleased that Biles was already in training, but what really captured their attention was how well she executed the Amanar, a maneuver she hadn’t done since the 2021 Olympics. The Amanar on vault is a gymnast’s backward handspring from the vaulting table, which involves flipping their body into a straight position and twisting twice and landing.
It was named for the Romanian former artistic gymnast Simona Amânar, and is also referred to as the Yurchenko 2.5. The Amanar vault is a very challenging move that has a maximum score of 15.8, which is determined by combining difficulty and execution. Biles withdrew from the Olympics in 2021 because to this shift, which was so challenging. To comprehend the circumstances underlying this crucial choice, let’s travel back in time.
Rewind to the Tokyo Olympics of 2021, where Simone Biles was supposed to perform the Amanar vault. She only completed one and a half twists when she lost her bearings in midair, which resulted in a less than perfect landing. She then talked candidly about experiencing the “Twisties.” After all, Biles withdrew from the competition, which meant that the Russian team had a chance to win the gold medal and the United States would be without their top gymnast.
However, it appears like Biles may finally make amends at the Paris Olympics by pulling off one of the sport’s most challenging routines. As she previously won the Yurchenko Double Pike Vault in the 2023 World Championships and was given the nickname “Biles II” in the FIG’s Code of Points, it begs the question of whether she will bring back the Amanar, or Yurchenko 2.5, in 2024. Or would we see a completely different move—possibly the eagerly awaited “Biles III”?
She teased her admirers with a full-in, or Yurchenko full-twisting double back, indicating that she’s not slowing down, which added credence to this rumor. Though we’re interested in hearing your opinions, time will reveal the answers.
