11 skills to look out for in women’s gymnastics at Paris 2024
Along with all of the triumphs, comebacks, and revenge stories, the Paris Olympics are shaping up to be notable for the level of incredibly difficult, boundary-pushing gymnastics that may grace Bercy Arena in the coming weeks. Here are some of the new skills never before performed at the Olympics to be on the lookout for as the Games progress.
First, the brand new elements that athletes could get named in Paris.
These are the skills that, as of publishing, have been submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), which means the athletes intend to attempt them at the Games. An athlete can get a skill named after them if they successfully compete it in an FIG-sanctioned competition without major error (like a fall or under-rotation).
- Andrade, Wevers, Visser submit new elements to be named at Paris 2024
- Biles submits original element to be named for her on Uneven Bars
Triple Twisting Yurchenko (vault) – Rebeca Andrade (BRA)
Gymnastics legend Rebeca Andrade etched her name into 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 may be looking to defend her vault title with even more difficulty than in Tokyo by replacing her Amanar with a new triple-twisting Yurchenko. 2008 Olympic vault Champion Hong Un-Jong attempted the skill in 2016, though she did not successfully perform it. It has been awarded a difficulty score of 6.0 by the FIG.
Triple L-turn (floor) – Lieke Wevers & Naomi Visser (NED)
While Shilese Jones (USA) and Chiaki Hatakeda (JPN), both of whom submitted the triple L-turn at the 2023 World Championships, missed out on the Olympics, we still may see the skill performed. Dutch gymnasts Lieke Wevers and Naomi Visser submitted the skill to the FIG for evaluation, who gave it an “E” value. The skill would the second to bear the Wevers name – the first being 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 (bars) – Simone Biles (USA)
Simone Biles is looking to get a sixth skill named after her in the Code of Points and to complete the “name-slam” (a la gym slam) by having at least one skill named after her on each event. The skill she’ll attempt is a Weiler 1.5 aka a clear hip circle forward to handstand with 1.5 turn. Biles competes the Weiler half regularly and has previously submitted the Weiler full, but she was never successful in her attempts and it has since been named after Australia’s Georgia Godwin. Look for her to compete it in qualifying when she has the least to lose with the attempt – no medals on the line and no concerns about it impacting any qualifying goals. More here.
Now for some skills that haven’t been compete at the Olympics before… and one that we’re holding out hope may make an appearance.
Yurchenko Double Pike – Simone Biles (USA)
While Simone Biles’ jaw-dropping new vault first hit the scene in 2021, the seven-time Olympic medalist will look to compete it at the Olympics for the first time in Paris (note: she did perform it in podium training in Tokyo). The Yurchenko double pike has a 6.4 difficulty value, making it the hardest vault in the women’s Code of Points. Biles finally got it named after herself at 2023 Worlds.
1.5 Twisting Double Back (floor) – Hillary Heron (PAN)
Panamanian gymnast Hillary Heron may have solidified her historic Olympic qualification at the 2023 World Championships, but perhaps equally notable is the new skill she debuted at the 2024 Cairo World Cup. The 1.5 twisting double back has been trained and competed by a litany of gymnasts, including Rebeca Andrade, Joscelyn Roberson, and Shilese Jones, but Heron was the first to successfully compete it at an FIG-sanctioned competition. The Heron was given an F value.
Toe-on Piked Tkatchev 1/2 – Georgia-Mae Fenton (GBR)
Brit Georgia-Mae Fenton is no stranger to having skills named after her in the Code of Points. Her first eponymous entry came in 2017 when she, alongside 2020 Olympic bars champion Nina Derwael (BEL), competed the stalder Tkatchev 1/2 for the first time at that year’s world championships. Creativity struck Fenton again, leading to her second named skill, which was awarded an F value at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Inbar Laid-out Tkatchev – Kaylia Nemour (ALG)
Kaylia Nemour burst on to the scene as a favorite for the Olympic bars title after debuting a mind-boggling 7.0 difficulty bars routine at the Cottbus World Cup in February. This difficulty was in part thanks to Nemour’s eponymous skill, which received a G value after first being successfully performed at the 2023 African Championships. Nemour’s skill is also notable because, unlike other Tkatchev variations, the inbar variety was named prior to all other root skills outside of the default toe-on version, which was named after Russian gymnast Tatiana Nabieva in 2010.
Clear Hip Piked Tkatchev 1/2 – Ellie Black (CAN)
The new Code of Points heavily incentivizes Tkatchev elements with turns, something Canadian veteran Ellie Black took advantage of in 2022 when she stamped her name on the clear hip piked Tkatchev 1/2. The new release move was given a G value after being performed for the first time at the Paris World Challenge Cup in September of that year.
Clear Hip Laid-out Tkatchev – Zhang Yihan (CHN)
Alongside 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 performing the clear hip laid-out Tkatchev at the Cottbus World Cup earlier this year. The new element was granted a G rating – one-tenth higher than its toe-on counterpart.
Piked Deltchev – Haruka Nakamura (JPN)
The piked Deltchev has been competed by many gymnasts, including LSU and Philippines gymnast Aleah Finnegan and German Olympian Daria Bijak, but it went unnamed until the 2023 World Junior Championships, when Japanese gymnast Haruka Nakamura helped use the skill to propel herself to the all-around title. The skill was given a D value.
Full-twisting Laid-out Jaeger – Sunisa Lee (USA)
Perhaps no skill introduced in the 2024 season has been subject to as much intrigue as the new bars release move being attempted by reigning Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee. Lee first attempted the skill at the 2024 Winter Cup but suffered a fall. USA Gymnastics preliminarily gave the skill an H value, 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’s since reverted to a set reminiscent of the routine she competed in Tokyo three years ago. We haven’t seen it since the U.S. Classic in May, and she hasn’t yet submitted it in Paris. It seems unlikely at this point that she’ll attempt it at the Games, but you never know.