For all the triumphs, comebacks and revenge stories, the Paris Olympics look set to be notable for the level of incredibly difficult, boundary-pushing gymnastics that will grace the Bercy Arena in the coming weeks. Here are some of the new skills never before performed at the Olympics that you should look out for as the Games progress.
First, the brand new elements that athletes could get in Paris.
These are the skills that, at the time of publication, have been submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), meaning the athletes plan to attempt them at the Games. An athlete can have a skill named after them if they successfully perform it in a FIG-sanctioned competition without any major faults (such as a fall or under-rotation).
Triple spinning Yurchenko (vault) – Rebeca Andrade (BRA)
Gymnastics legend Rebeca Andrade made her name in the history books at the Tokyo Olympics when she became the first Brazilian woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics. This time around, Andrade will attempt to defend her vault title with perhaps even more difficulty than she did in Tokyo, replacing her Amanar with a new triple-twisting Yurchenko. 2008 Olympic vault champion Hong Un-Jong attempted the skill in 2016 but failed. The FIG has rated it a 6.0 difficulty level.
Triple L-turn (floor) – Lieke Wevers & Naomi Visser (NED)
Although Shilese Jones (USA) and Chiaki Hatakeda (JPN), who both performed the triple L turn at the 2023 World Championships, missed out on the Olympics, the skill will still be seen. Dutch gymnasts Lieke Wevers and Naomi Visser submitted the skill to the FIG for evaluation, who gave it an “E” value. The skill would be the second to bear Wevers’ name – the first was the double L turn on beam, which was named after Lieke’s twin sister and 2016 Olympic beam champion Sanne Wevers at the 2010 World Championships.
Weiler 1.5 (sizes) – Simone Biles (US)
Simone Biles is aiming to have a sixth skill named after her in the Code of Points and complete the “name-slam” (a gym slam) by having at least one skill named after her in every event. The skill she will attempt is a Weiler 1.5, or a clear forward hip circle to handstand with a 1.5 twist. Biles is a regular competitor in the Weiler half and has previously attempted the full Weiler, but she was never successful in her attempts and the attempt has since been named after Australia’s Georgia Godwin. Expect her to enter the qualifier when she has the least to lose by attempting it – no medals on the line and no worries about it affecting her qualifying goals. More here.
The Weiler 1.5. (Drawing: FIG)
Now some skills that have not yet been learned in the Olympic games before…and one we hope will appear someday.
Yurchenko Double Pike – Simone Biles (USA)
While Simone Biles’ stunning new jump first burst onto the scene in 2021, the seven-time Olympic medalist will attempt to debut it at the Paris Olympics (note: she did it during podium training in Tokyo). The Yurchenko double pike is rated 6.4, making it the most difficult jump in the women’s Code of Points. Biles ultimately got it named after herself at the 2023 World Championships.
1.5 Twisting Double Back (floor) – Hillary Heron (PAN)
Panamanian gymnast Hillary Heron may have cemented her historic Olympic credentials at the 2023 World Championships, but perhaps just as notable is a new skill she debuted at the 2024 Cairo World Cup. The 1.5 twisting double back has been trained and performed by a host of gymnasts, including Rebeca Andrade, Joscelyn Roberson and Shilese Jones, but Heron was the first to successfully perform it in a FIG-sanctioned competition. Heron was given an F grade.
Toe-on Piked Tkatchev 1/2 – Georgia-Mae Fenton (GBR)
Britain’s Georgia Mae Fenton is no stranger to having skills named after her in the Code of Points. Her first eponymous appearance came in 2017 when, partnered with 2020 Olympic beam champion Nina Derwael (BEL), she first competed in the Tkatchev 1/2 at that year’s World Championships. Fenton was feeling creative again, which led to her second named skill, which was given an F-value at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Inbar Made up Tkatchev – Kaylia Nemour (ALG)
Kaylia Nemour burst onto the scene as the favorite to take the Olympic beam title after debuting with a stunning 7.0 beam routine at the Cottbus World Cup in February. This difficulty rating was due in part to Nemour’s namesake skill, which was rated G after first being successfully performed at the 2023 African Championships. Nemour’s skill is also notable because, unlike Tkatchev’s other variations, the inbar variation was named before all other root skills except the standard toe-on version, which was named after Russian gymnast Tatiana Nabieva in 2010.
Transparent Hip Picked Tkatchev 1/2 – Ellie Black (CAN)
The new Code of Points greatly encourages Tkatchev elements with turns, something Canadian veteran Ellie Black took advantage of in 2022 when she stamped her name on the distinctive hip-picked Tkatchev 1/2. The new release move was given a G-rating after it was first performed at the Paris World Challenge Cup in September of that year.
Clear hip position Tkatchev – Zhang Yihan (CHN)
In addition to Qiu Qiyuan’s 7.2 difficulty routine, China is looking to put together one of the most remarkable bars rotations in Olympic history. One potential member of the Chinese squad is Zhang Yihan, who cemented her legacy in the Code of Points by successfully executing the clear hip-laid Tkatchev at the Cottbus World Cup earlier this year. The new element was rated G – one-tenth higher than its toe-on counterpart.
Zhang Yihan UB 2024 Cottbus World Cup
6.5+7.1
Cr 祝福体操小花们_ on weiboToo bad she fell on the layout jaeger, but the clear hip nabieva is now the Zhang!! photo.twitter.com/erAjMebdaC
— nicole (@lsjricna) February 24, 2024
Piked Deltchev – Haruka Nakamura (JPN)
The Deltchev pike has been performed by many gymnasts, including LSU and Filipino gymnast Aleah Finnegan and German Olympian Daria Bijak, but the skill remained unknown until the 2023 World Junior Championships, when Japanese gymnast Haruka Nakamura used the skill to propel herself to the all-around title. The skill was given a D value.
Fully Rotating Laid-out Jaeger – Sunisa Lee (USA)
Perhaps no skill introduced for the 2024 season has been more intriguing than the new bars release move attempted by reigning Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee. Lee first attempted the skill at the 2024 Winter Cup, but fell. USA Gymnastics provisionally assigned the skill an H rating, but an official value, nor Lee’s name, will be given to the skill until it is successfully performed at a FIG competition.
Lee seemed to have found her rhythm with the skill early in the year, but after some struggles she has since returned to a set reminiscent of the routine she did in Tokyo three years ago. We haven’t seen it since the US Classic in May, and she hasn’t lost it in Paris. It seems unlikely at this point that she’ll attempt it at the Games, but you never know.
