Another day, another gold for Simone Biles.
The gymnastics legend added to her incredible legacy with a gold medal in the individual all-around finals Thursday, and the Team USA star earned gold No. 7 in the vault competition Saturday.
While Biles had to overcome plenty to put herself in position for another appearance in the Olympics, it came as no surprise Saturday that she prevailed in the vault. An excellent showing in the vault during the all-around finals Thursday solidified her status as the clear favorite this weekend, and she left no doubt against some of the world's best gymnasts in the competition Saturday.
OH WOW. 🤩
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024
Simone Biles just NAILED this vault in the final! #ParisOlympics
📺 NBC, E! and Peacock pic.twitter.com/fgFeDjZuQg
Here's a look at Biles' score on her way to a gold medal in the vault finals at the 2024 Paris Games.
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Simone Biles vault score today
Biles posted a final score of 15.300 to win gold in the vault Saturday. The 27-year-old posted a 15.700 on her first exercise and a 14.900 on her second; each led the rest of the competition.
Brazil's Rebecca Andrade, who won silver in the all-around individual finals earlier in the week, picked up another silver with a final score of 14.996. She posted a 15.100 on her first exercise and couldn't cut into Biles' lead with a 14.833 on her second.
Biles' teammate Jade Carey won bronze with a 14.466.
Biles' score came in slightly behind her dominant 15.766 from the all-around individual finals Thursday, when she used her best event at the moment to power herself to the second all-around individual gold of her career.
There was one key similarity between Biles' performance on the vault Thursday and her performance on Saturday: she successfully landed a Yurchenko double pike in each competition, completing the unbelievable move for the second time in three days without issue. The Yurchenko double pike gave Biles a stellar 15.700 on her first exercise, setting the stage for gold.
Here's more to know about the Yurchenko double pike.
What is the Yurchenko double pike?
The Yurchenko double pike is a move created by retired Russian gymnast Natalia Yurchenko. Biles became the first woman to land it in an international competition in 2023, earning it the alternate nickname "Biles II."
SN's Jacob Camenker describes the move below:
[Yurchenko] and coach Vladislav Rastorotsky designed a new way to move onto the vaulting table that involved performing a round-off onto the springboard and a back handspring to launch into the air.
From there, the gymnast performs a somersault — also known as a "salto" — while airborne. This is where the variation of the maneuver surfaces, as gymnasts can perform whatever they are comfortable landing, from a single tuck to Biles' double pike.
The double pike involves two somersaults in the air while in a pike position, a straight-legged position during which gymnasts also place their legs straight out in front. Gymnasts hold their legs together during this move and keep their backs straight and keep their eyes looking forward, per Synergy Gymnastics.
Biles landed the move twice in a span of three days, and it helped earn her gold medals No. 6 and 7 in her esteemed career.
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What is the highest possible score in gymnastics?
Modern gymnastics scoring accounts for both performance and level of difficulty. Because Biles' vault routine is so difficult, her highest possible score tends to be higher than most.
Performing a routine with a high level of difficulty comes with more risk, of course, but Biles doesn't make it look so difficult with how flawlessly she executes her moves.
The Yurchenko double pike has a difficulty score (D score) of 6.400, while the highest possible execution score (E score) is always 10.000. Biles could have scored as high as 16.400 in her vault routine on Saturday, but a 15.700 is still exceptional considering how difficult it is to successfully land a Yurchenko double pike.
