Simone Biles Lands First-Ever Triple Double on Floor Exercise

At only 22 years old, gymnast Simone Biles is changing the game for her competition and for future [...]

By John Newby

At only 22 years old, gymnast Simone Biles is changing the game for her competition and for future generations. She entered the U.S. Gymnastics Championships this past weekend with the goal of adding to her considerable list of achievements – and gold medals – and she did just that with considerable style. In fact, Biles made history in multiple events, showcasing her ability to continually push the level of competition.

For starters, Biles nearly broke social media when she became the first female gymnast to ever successfully land a triple-double. This move consists of two backflips followed by three twists in midair. According to Elle, Biles had attempted this move during Friday's practice but was unable to perfectly pull off the landing. However, that changed when the bright lights were on and the pressure was building. Biles attempted the triple-double once again on Sunday, pulling it off to perfection.

According to the New York Times, the triple-double is something that has previously been done only on the men's side of competition, albeit very rarely. None of the men were expected to attempt the move during competition, and Biles' competitors often struggle with the double-double.

If her ability to pull off a triple-double during competition wasn't impressive enough, Biles topped herself by winning gold medals on floor, vault, and beam. She also finished in third place on bars. Additionally, Biles once again made history during the beam event when she became the first gymnast to land a double-double dismount, which is a double-twisting, double somersault off the beam.

To cap off her groundbreaking weekend, Biles was given the U.S. all-around title for her performance. This is the sixth time she's been given the award, which also makes history. Biles is the first woman in nearly 70 years to win the all-around title six times.

Back in 2016, Biles took home multiple gold medals during the Olympics, winning individual all-around, team all-around, vault, and floor. This is impressive enough, but her performance over this past weekend only makes it more likely that Biles will be turning in a performance for the ages in 2020.

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