Simone Biles broke the boundaries of gymnastics in a new beam dismount back in 2019. But rather than being rewarded, the American superstar found herself in the middle of a debate about safety and scoring.

At the U.S. Nationals in August, Biles first landed her double-double dismount at the U.S. Nationals in August. At that point, she was close to making history, as performing it successfully at the World Championships would earn the move a place in the Code of Points under her name.

That move, two flips and two twists, was a level of difficulty that has never been seen in women’s gymnastics. Then came the disappointment when the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) gave the skill an "H" rating.

The International Gymnastics Federation women’s technical committee explained that the move carried extra landing risks, including the chance of a neck injury. To promote athlete safety, the FIG will at times assign lower values to too dangerous elements.

The move was still worth more than any other beam skill by a woman in the Code of Points at the time.

Biles took to social media to share her thoughts, sparking a debate about whether gymnastics officials were giving enough credit for innovation.

The federation said it had previously changed the value of dangerous skills to deter gymnasts.

Supporters of Biles said the sport should reward athletes who can do things that no one else can do.

USA Gymnastics also released a statement in support of Biles.

“The safety of athletes is always a top priority for us and the sport in general; however, we believe the skill should be given the value that it merits,” the organization said in a statement.

The governing body also praised Biles for pushing the boundaries with what it called her “creative and technical abilities."

Simone Biles continued redefining gymnastics after the controversy

The beam dismount debate was another chapter in Biles’ long history of changing the sport.

Two years after U.S. Nationals, in 2021, Biles continued to push the boundaries with the Yurchenko double pike vault at the US Classic.

The Yurchenko double pike had previously been seen only in men’s gymnastics. That changed when Biles raced down the runway, transitioned through a roundoff and back handspring onto the vault.

"That's on the [International Federation of Gymnastics], that's not on me," came Biles' said' reaction. "They have an open-end code of points, and now they're mad people are too far ahead and excelling."

Returning to competition after more than 18 months away, she still earned the highest all-around score of the evening with a 58.400, even with issues on floor exercise and uneven bars.

Despite the 2019 debate, she continued pushing forward in search of success.

Read more at the Gymnastics Digest.

Written by

Chitrak Mukherjee

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar