What Is Simone Biles’ Best Event? Discover Her Iconic Floor Dominance
Explore Simone Biles' best gymnastics event—floor exercise. Learn how her signature skills, artistry, and achievements on the floor solidify her GOAT status.
Simone Biles is widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, but when it comes to her top event, the conversation narrows to two front-runners: floor exercise and vault. Both showcase her explosive power, technical excellence, and unmatched difficulty. However, many experts and fans agree that the floor exercise stands as her most iconic and dominant event. This article explores the strengths, achievements, and signature skills that make the floor—and closely behind it, vault—the definitive stages for Biles’ historic performances.
Floor Exercise Mastery
Simone Biles' dominance in the floor exercise is one of the defining aspects of her illustrious gymnastics career. Frequently cited as her best event, the floor exercise showcases her extraordinary power, precision, musicality, and innovation. Her routines consistently push the boundaries of what is considered possible in women’s artistic gymnastics, setting new difficulty standards and raising the bar for competitors worldwide.
Signature Moves and Difficulty
Biles is known for incorporating some of the most difficult tumbling passes ever performed in women's gymnastics. One of her most iconic skills, the “Biles” on floor—officially named after her—is a double layout with a half twist (also called a double layout half-out). This skill carries one of the highest difficulty ratings in the Code of Points and demonstrates her unmatched aerial awareness and explosive power.
Another of her floor exercise elements, the triple-twisting double backflip (the “Biles II”), made its debut at the 2019 World Championships. It is one of the most difficult elements ever performed in women's gymnastics and remains a rare skill attempted only by the most elite gymnasts.
These original elements not only bear her name but have contributed significantly to the overall difficulty score of her routines. Simone's floor exercise routines often include multiple tumbling passes that feature intricate twists, high amplitude, and precise landings, all performed with remarkable consistency.
Olympic and World Championship Performances
Biles' floor exercise performances have been a cornerstone of her medal-winning achievements. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won the gold medal in the floor final with a score of 15.966, a mark that reflected both her difficulty and execution superiority. Her routine dazzled judges and audiences alike with its combination of complex acrobatics and artistic presentation.
At the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Biles once again claimed gold in the floor exercise final, showcasing both the “Biles” and “Biles II” in a single routine. She scored a 15.133 in the final, underlining her continued dominance in the event.
Even after a brief hiatus due to mental health challenges during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Biles returned to competition and continued to deliver strong performances on floor. Her routines remain among the most difficult in the field, and she continues to refine her artistry and technique with each appearance.
Artistic Expression and Performance Quality
While Simone Biles is widely celebrated for her athleticism, her floor routines also demonstrate a growing emphasis on artistry. Over the years, she has worked with choreographers to enhance the musicality and expressive components of her performances. This evolution has helped her routines score higher in the artistry and presentation categories, complementing her already sky-high difficulty scores.
Her ability to connect with audiences through her dynamic music choices and engaging performance style further elevates her routines, making them fan favorites and widely shared highlights during competitions.
Scoring Dominance and Competitive Edge
Biles' floor routines typically feature some of the highest start values in women’s gymnastics. Her execution scores are also among the best, due in part to her clean landings, controlled tumbling, and minimal form deductions. These elements give her a significant advantage over competitors, allowing her to build substantial leads even in tightly contested all-around and apparatus finals.
Her consistent ability to deliver under pressure has made her nearly unbeatable on floor in major international competition. Judges and commentators often note her technical confidence and competitive poise, which further solidify her as the standard-bearer in the event.
Legacy on the Floor
Simone Biles has revolutionized floor exercise with her powerful tumbling, innovative skills, and high-scoring performances. Her contributions have not only influenced how routines are constructed but also how difficulty is rewarded in women’s gymnastics. The skills she has introduced are now benchmarks for future generations, and many young gymnasts aspire to one day perform the same elements.
As of today, the floor exercise remains arguably Simone Biles’ most dominant event—a testament to her unparalleled athletic ability, creative vision, and relentless pursuit of excellence.
Vault Dominance
Simone Biles' dominance on vault is one of the most defining aspects of her gymnastics career. Renowned for her explosive power, precision, and ability to perform some of the most difficult vaults ever attempted in women’s gymnastics, Biles has redefined what is possible in this apparatus.
Specialized Techniques
Biles’ vaulting technique combines exceptional speed, aerial awareness, and control. Her run-up is characterized by unmatched acceleration, allowing her to generate the necessary height and rotation for complex vaults. One of her most valuable assets is her ability to maintain body alignment and tight form during high-difficulty vaults, minimizing deductions and maximizing scoring potential.
She is known for performing Yurchenko-style vaults, which involve a round-off onto the springboard followed by a back handspring onto the vaulting table. From there, she launches into complex aerial combinations, often involving multiple twists and flips.
The "Biles" Vault and Other Innovations
Perhaps the most iconic representation of her vaulting prowess is the "Biles" vault—a round-off back handspring onto the table followed by a half-on entry and a double-twisting front layout off, officially recognized as the Yurchenko double pike. This vault, first successfully performed by Biles in competition in 2021, was so unprecedented in difficulty that it became the first of its kind to be named after her in women’s artistic gymnastics. It carries one of the highest difficulty scores in the sport.
In addition to the "Biles," she has consistently performed the Amanar (a Yurchenko 2.5 twist) and the Cheng vault (a round-off half-on, front layout with 1.5 twists), both extremely difficult and rarely executed with the level of control and consistency that Biles demonstrates.
Competition Scores and Achievements
Throughout her Olympic and World Championship appearances, Biles has consistently scored among the highest on vault. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she secured the gold medal in the vault final with a commanding performance that included both the Amanar and Cheng vaults. Her average score in that final was 15.966, the highest in the field by a significant margin.
At the 2018 and 2019 World Championships, she continued her vault dominance, winning back-to-back gold medals and debuting increasingly difficult vaults. Her performances often left her competitors more than a full point behind, a rare margin in elite gymnastics.
Historical Context and Legacy
Simone Biles' contributions to vault have not only earned her medals but have also reshaped the expectations for female gymnasts on this apparatus. Her willingness to push the boundaries of difficulty has influenced the Code of Points and inspired a new generation of gymnasts to pursue more ambitious vaults.
Biles’ dominance on vault is a key component of her all-around supremacy and serves as a testament to her unparalleled athleticism and innovation in the sport.
Balance Beam Expertise
As one of the most technically demanding apparatuses in women’s artistic gymnastics, the balance beam requires a rare blend of precision, grace, and mental resilience. Simone Biles has consistently demonstrated exceptional prowess on beam, making it one of her standout events throughout her career.
Technical Breakdown of Beam Routines
Simone Biles’ beam routines are a masterclass in difficulty and control. She is known for incorporating highly difficult acrobatic and dance elements, often exceeding the difficulty score (D-score) of her competitors. Her routines typically feature complex series such as the back handspring layout step-out, aerial cartwheel, and her signature dismounts.
One of the most notable elements she performed is the double-double dismount (a double backflip with two twists), which was so unprecedented in women’s gymnastics that it was added to the Code of Points as the "Biles." Although she has since modified her dismount for safety and strategic reasons, the skill remains a testament to her technical innovation.
Her ability to connect high-difficulty elements with fluid transitions and her impeccable landings have contributed to high execution scores (E-scores), even under the most intense competitive pressure.
Competition Results and Scoring
Biles' balance beam results at major competitions underscore her dominance. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she secured a bronze medal on beam after a minor balance check, showing that even when not at her absolute best, she remains a top contender. At the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, she won gold on beam, scoring an impressive 15.066 in the final — one of the highest beam scores of the competition.
Her 2021 Tokyo Olympic performance was particularly poignant. After withdrawing from several events due to mental health concerns, she returned to compete on the balance beam and earned a bronze medal. This routine, which featured a lower-difficulty dismount but high execution, was widely praised for its composure and courage.
Mental Strength Requirements
The balance beam is often considered the most psychologically demanding apparatus in gymnastics. It requires not only physical control but also unwavering mental focus to perform on an apparatus just 10 centimeters wide. Biles' beam performances reflect her elite mental toughness, especially in high-stakes environments like the Olympics and World Championships.
Her comeback in Tokyo highlighted the emotional and mental aspects of beam performance. Choosing a safer dismount reflected her deep understanding of risk management and mental health, while still delivering a routine worthy of an Olympic medal.
This ability to adapt under pressure, maintain composure, and still execute high-level performances speaks to Biles’ extraordinary mental resilience — a key attribute in her continued beam excellence.
Recognition as a Beam Specialist
While Simone Biles is perhaps best known for her explosive floor and vault performances, her consistency and innovation on balance beam have solidified her status as one of the all-around greats. Her contributions to beam difficulty and her performances under pressure have raised the bar in women's gymnastics, influencing how the event is judged and performed globally.
In the context of her overall career, the balance beam showcases a different facet of Biles’ talent — one defined not just by power and amplitude but by finesse, control, and mental strength.
Overall Event Rankings
Simone Biles' dominance in gymnastics is rooted in her consistent excellence across all four women’s artistic gymnastics events: vault, floor exercise, balance beam, and uneven bars. While she is recognized for her all-around superiority, certain events stand out due to her technical innovation, difficulty levels, and competitive track record.
Vault
Vault is widely considered Simone Biles' best event. She has consistently achieved some of the highest scores in the world on this apparatus, thanks to her exceptional power, precision, and execution. Biles is the first woman to ever complete the Yurchenko double pike vault in competition—now officially named the "Biles II"—a skill so difficult it has only been attempted by male gymnasts until recently. Her vault routines regularly feature some of the most challenging elements in the sport, and her landings are known for their stability and control. As a result, she has won multiple Olympic and World Championship gold medals in this event, often with a significant margin over her competitors.
Floor Exercise
The floor exercise is another event where Biles has cemented her legacy. Her routines combine explosive tumbling passes with expressive choreography and musicality. Biles has multiple eponymous skills on floor, including the "Biles" (a double layout half-out) and the "Biles II" (a triple-twisting double back), both of which are among the most difficult elements ever performed in women's gymnastics. Her unmatched power and precise execution have led her to multiple gold medals at both the Olympic Games and World Championships. Floor remains one of her signature events due to its combination of athleticism and artistic presentation.
Balance Beam
Biles’ balance beam routines are marked by high difficulty and risk, including complex acrobatic series and unique dismounts. While she has occasionally faced challenges with consistency on beam, her overall performance history is strong, including Olympic and World medals. Her mental resilience and ability to recover from setbacks on beam—often considered the most psychologically demanding apparatus—demonstrate her elite capability. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she notably returned to competition on beam after withdrawing from earlier events due to mental health concerns and secured a bronze medal, showcasing her courage and determination.
Uneven Bars
Among the four events, uneven bars is generally considered Biles' weakest, though she still ranks competitively by international standards. Unlike the other apparatus, bars favor athletes with a different physique and skill set focused more on swing and transitions rather than explosive power. Despite this, Biles has shown significant improvement over the years, refining her technique and increasing her difficulty scores. She continues to be a capable bars competitor who can contribute to team totals and maintain a strong all-around standing.
All-Around Rankings
Simone Biles’ ability to perform at an elite level across all four apparatuses has made her the most decorated gymnast in history. She has earned multiple all-around titles at World Championships and Olympic Games, often winning by historic margins. Her consistent top-tier rankings in vault and floor, combined with strong performances on beam and competitive showings on bars, make her nearly unbeatable in all-around competition when performing at her full capacity.
In summary, Simone Biles ranks highest on vault and floor exercise, where her routines push the boundaries of what is considered possible in women’s gymnastics. She remains a top contender on beam and a solid performer on bars, making her an unprecedented all-around champion in the sport’s history.
While Simone Biles excels across all four women’s gymnastics events, the floor exercise stands out as her signature arena—where athleticism meets artistry at the highest level. With multiple eponymous skills, unbeatable scores, and historic achievements, Biles’ floor routines have redefined the sport. Vault follows closely behind, showcasing her raw power and technical mastery. Whether you’re a lifelong gymnastics fan or just learning about Biles’ greatness, her floor exercise routines are a must-watch to experience the brilliance of the GOAT in her element.