Simone Biles has a new move named in her honor

In any endeavor, to have something named for you or your work is a clear distinction. 

On Sunday, Texan Simone Biles of gymnastics fame not only achieved such a distinction – and not for the first time. Biles displayed another gymnastics skill, a vault once called impossible, which now will be called “the Biles.”

Dvora Meyers wrote about the event for a recent article in Texas Monthly and she joined the Standard to talk about Biles’ long career and impact on gymnastics. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.

This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:

Texas Standard: Simone Biles has a new move named after her. Could you explain just what it is that Biles did to earn this latest distinction?

Dvora Meyers: So, yeah, of course. On the vault, she did a Yurchenko, which is a very common entry. So a round-off onto the board, back handspring onto the table. But she did a double pike off. So two and a half somersaults in a pike position.

So I just want to clarify one point. It has been done on the men’s side of the sport, but it’s the first time that a woman has done it at the World Championships. 

Well, now in gymnastics, you write that having a skill named for you usually doesn’t get you the kind of fanfare that Biles’ achievement has received. Could you say more about that?

So, you know, gymnastics fans tend to get really excited any time a gymnast submits a new skill and does a new skill in competition. But in general, I can’t imagine the media getting so excited if someone does a triple turn on floor exercise, even though it’s a really hard move to do and it’s really beautiful.

But with Biles, everyone gets so into every new skill that she introduces because in many cases they are skills that we didn’t really think were possible on the women’s side of the sport. Obviously the double pike is the new one, but her triple twisting, double somersaults on floor exercise, the double twisting, double somersault off the balance beam… Truly skills that you never even imagined that someone would try in competition.

So because of who she is and what she means to the sport and just how popular and famous she is, every new skill that she introduces gets a tremendous amount of attention. 

» RELATED: Simone Biles continues making history with 8th U.S. Gymnastics title

Well, you write that it’s fitting that Biles is getting this move named after her in Antwerp this year. Could you say more? 

Yeah, so Simone made her world championship debut in Antwerp in 2013, and she won her first world all around title. She won a gold on floor exercise. She won a silver on vault there, and I believe also a bronze on the balance beam.

And, you know, I wasn’t in Antwerp for her first world championships, but I was already covering her career at that point. And I was really excited. But you couldn’t really predict that she would have this kind of career because no one had had this kind of career up until her.

So it’s now ten years later. We know what she means to sport. And for her to come back here, to the city where it really all began for her in terms of world championship wins… You know, she has the most gold medals ever in the world championships. And for her to come back here and after taking some time off and [getting] this truly magnificent skill name for her, I think it’s just really a special moment for obviously for her, for her coaches and for everyone who’s followed her career for ten years.

I think I know how you’re going to answer this, given what you’ve just said. But, you know, you think of the pantheon of great gymnasts. Where does Simone Biles sit? 

I mean, I think it’s pretty clear that she’s the greatest of all time. I don’t know. I don’t think that’s up for debate.

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