CNN
—

Simone Biles She announced her return to the world stage in some style on Sunday as she finished first in the women’s all-around qualifier at the World Championships. 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships She became the first woman to land a double pike vault Yurchenko in an international competition.

Biles ascended the vault, soared high into the air, twisting the angular blue, and landed with just one step backwards to make history.

This feat ensures that the skill is now named Biles II in honor of the 19-time world champion, making it the fifth item named for her.

A high-difficulty skill historically only practiced by men, the element is a ride on the springboard, followed by a backhand flip on a vaulting table, and ending with a double backflip in the air to a landing.

She recorded an all-around score of 58.865 to sit in first place at the end of her qualifying session, and in a leadership position to reach the individual final four and the all-around final later in the week.

Following her qualifying round, the 26-year-old sits in first place on the three pieces of apparatus – floor, vault and balance beam – and second on the uneven bars, behind teammate Shellis Jones.

The USA as a team posted an impressive qualifying score of 171.395, and although most of the other teams have yet to complete their qualifying round, it seems almost certain that the Americans will make it to the team final given that their score surpassed the 167.263 that saw them qualify in first place last year.

It’s Biles’ first competitor back on the world stage since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she pulled out of several events suffering from what’s known as “sprains” — a mental block that causes a gymnast to lose position in the air.

Since then, she has once again demonstrated all the qualities that took her to the top of the sport, coming back to win a record eighth national all-around title.

By competing in Antwerp, Biles became the first woman to represent the United States at six World Artistic Championships.

On the other hand, the US men’s gymnastics team secured its place in the team competition at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris by qualifying for the team final in second place behind Japan.