what is a yurchenko double pike

The Yurchenko double pike is a vault in womens artistic gymnastics that was first performed by Simone Biles. It is considered the most difficult vault in womens gymnastics and has the highest D-score of any Yurchenko variation. The move consists of two flips in the pike position where the legs are extended. The Yurchenko vault family is named after Natalia Vladimirovna Yurchenko, a gymnast who trained under Vladislav Rastorotski. The pair designed a new way of moving onto the vaulting horse, which was first tested using a foam pit and then introduced to the runway and vault horse. In 1982, Yurchenko performed the vault for the first time at a competition in Moscow. The Yurchenko double pike was rated at 6.4 points by the technical committee in gymnastics and is now named after Simone Biles.