Biles probably will have four opportunities to compete on vault at the world championships: in the qualifying round (Oct. 1), in the team final (Oct. 4), in the all-around final (Oct. 6) and in the vault final (Oct. 7). She could perform the Yurchenko double pike each time, though it is never guaranteed given the riskiness of the vault.

This season, Biles has performed a Yurchenko double pike more often than in 2021. Leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, Biles had five opportunities to showcase the difficult vault, and she did so just once.

This year, Biles attempted this vault at the U.S. Classic and on one of two days of competition at nationals. She also performed the Yurchenko double pike at the world championships selection event. This indicates she views this vault as her primary option. She turned to the Cheng on the second day of nationals only after she “stung her ankle a little bit” on her landing of the Yurchenko double pike two days earlier, her coach Laurent Landi said.

In all-around finals and team competitions, gymnasts perform just one vault. But to contend for vault medals, gymnasts must perform two different vaults. Biles plans to rely on the Yurchenko double pike and the Cheng. She is comfortable with the Yurchenko double pike, but if it isn’t going well, Biles said, she’ll perform only the Cheng. If that were to happen in the qualifying round or in the vault final, she would have only one vault and wouldn’t be able to win a medal on that apparatus. Biles mentioned she hasn’t been training her Amanar (a Yurchenko with 2½ twists), which could serve as a backup option for the Yurchenko double pike.

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