Simone Biles wows on vault while surging to the lead at the US gymnastics championships
“She’s doing good,” Landi, Biles’ longtime coach, said. “But we just need to keep looking to make sure we protect her as much as we can.”
SAN JOSE, Calif. : Laurent Landi stood on the mat, arms slightly outstretched. He took one small step to his right. Then another.
Above him, above everyone really, Simone Biles soared through the air. Her arms clasped behind her knees. Her legs at a perfect 90-degree angle from her body.
Landi’s decision to stand there was one of his conditions if Biles wanted to attempt a Yurchenko Double Pike, a vault so daunting few men have attempted it and no woman has ever completed it in international competition.
On Friday night at the US Championships, all it did was give Landi, Biles’ longtime coach, a close-up view of an athlete that somehow at age 26 appears to be as good as ever. Maybe better.
Biles rotated perfectly and landed with a small hop. The arms Landi had extended just in case instead led a cheer that sent a jolt through the SAP Center.
Those two seconds of brilliance provided the signature moment during two hours that showcased that now, a full decade into her run atop her sport, there is Biles and then there is everyone else.
Her all-around total of 59.300 was well ahead of a brilliant Shilese Jones in second at 56.750 and put Biles in position to win a record eighth national championship on Sunday night. Biles’ total included a 15.7 for her showstopping vault, a score that included a near-perfect 9.8 for execution and a half-point neutral deduction for having Landi nearby.
Landi has no plans to ditch his post, though he could only shake his head when asked if a Yurchenko double pike is supposed to look that easy.
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