ANTWERP, Belgium — The acrobatics that Simone Biles tries are so extreme and difficult that even when she does not execute to perfection, she still ends up on a world podium.
Biles had to be content with a silver medal Saturday at the world championships — her 28th overall since she started her harvest a decade ago — after she over-rotated her signature Yurchenko double pike and fell backward on the mat on landing.
Rebeca Andrade of Brazil denied Biles a 22nd world title by winning the vault competition ahead of the American superstar.
A day after she became the most decorated gymnast in history, Biles tried to reclaim the title she last won in 2019 by performing her extremely difficult signature vault that nobody else does in the women’s competition and only a few men attempt.
Biles’ second vault was an excellent Cheng to finish with a combined score of 14.549. Andrade was nearly flawless to snatch the gold medal by 0.201 points. Yeo Seo-jeong of South Korea took the bronze with 14.416.
Andrade said she was disappointed to witness Biles fail in her quest for perfection.
“I’m happy for my result, but sad about the fall because we know how much athletes train to do this vault,” Andrade said through an interpreter.
Asked whether she would try the Yurchenko…
