"Simone Biles is so good at adjusting" - When gymnast's former coach Cecile Landi opened up on performing difficult skills in competition

Simone Biles' former coach, Cecile Landi, once opened up on the gymnast's ability to perform difficult skills during competitions. Biles has five gymnastics skills named after her, including two on vault, two on floor exercise, and one on balance beam.

The Biles (Floor) was the first skill named after her at the 2013 World Championships. It includes a double layout with a half-twist in the second flip. She nailed The Biles (vault) during the 2018 World Championships by executing a half-twist onto the vaulting table and a front double full somersault off. Two years later, at the WCs, the legendary gymnast performed The Biles II (Floor), which includes two flips and three twists.

At the same Championships in 2019, she listed The Biles (Beam), which is a dismount from the balance beam involving two twists and two flips. In an interview with espn.in in July 2021, Landi highlighted how Biles performing these skills at competitions is special. She highlighted Simone Biles' ability to quickly adjust to different springboards, lighting, and mats than those of training.

"Every skill Simone does for the first time in competition, it's more special than any other time she does it. When you go to a competition, the springboard is different than the one you use in training. The arena lighting is different. The mats are a little harder in competition than in training because they're newer. That first training pass is [used] to get adjusted to all of that. She is so good at adjusting to what is needed."

Simone Biles also has the most difficult Yurchenko double pike named after her.

---

Simone Biles' former coach Cecile Landi opened up on the moment when the gymnast performed Yurchenko double pike for the first time

Simone Biles during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. (Photo via Getty Images)

In the same interview, Simone Biles' former coach Cecile Landi opened up on the moment when the gymnast performed the Yurchenko Double Pike for the first time on vault. Biles executed the skill during a training session for the Tokyo Olympics.

Recalling the moment, Landi stated it was such a big deal that everyone in the gym stopped to watch her execute it.

"It took a long time for Simone to become comfortable doing it and it is still a vault that is very dangerous. A coach will have to find an athlete that is physically and mentally extremely strong, and once you have that combination, it's doable. But I do not see anyone right now who will be able to successfully compete it. I honestly don't know if I will ever see it again."

The Yurchenko Double Pike consists of a round-off onto the springboard, a back handspring onto the vaulting table, and then two flips in a piked position, making it the most difficult gymnastics routine.

Edited by Mitali