Gymnastics is an extremely difficult sport, but some people make it look easy. Step forward Simone Biles, who hit a Yurchenko double pike—considered the “hardest vault in the world”—during the artistic gymnastics Women’s Team event at the 2024 Summer Olympics. With both the Women’s Vault and Women’s All-Around events still to come, it’s possible we’ll get to see Biles complete the feat again before the Games are out.
The physics behind the Yurchenko double pike, and so many other gymnastic vaults, is also pretty challenging. Let’s consider something seemingly simple, like a flip.
There will be some version of a flip in all four of the women’s gymnastics events: floor, bars, vault, and beam. It’s one