- Simone Biles recently nailed a vault so dangerous that no woman had ever tried it in competition.
- She revealed her anxiety over the move in Episode 2 of her docuseries, "Simone vs Herself."
- Here's an exclusive look at part of the episode, which premieres Tuesday on Facebook Watch.
Simone Biles pulls off bodily feats that most other gymnasts could only dream about.
And even though her dominance often looks effortless, the four-time Olympic gold medalist still gets nervous from time to time.
Attempting the Yurchenko double pike — a vault so dangerous that no woman had ever tried it in competition before her — at the US Classic in May was undoubtedly one such instance. And even though she nailed it on her first go, Biles recently revealed that the stunt still gives her anxiety every single time.
"Usually, when you do a new skill, you're scared the first couple of times, and then you kind of get used to it," Biles said. "But every time I stand down at that vault runway, I'm like praying."
"The scariest thing for me off the table is making sure I have a good grip on my leg," she added. "Because, if not, it can slip, and then that's when the mistakes usually happen."
The second episode of Biles' Facebook Watch docuseries, "Simone vs Herself," was devoted in part to Biles' preparation ahead of her first Yurchenko double pike attempt. During the show, footage of the 24-year-old working on the tricky stunt — which features a roundoff back handspring into two straight-legged flips off the vaulting table — was shown as Biles and her coaches discussed the motivation behind attempting such a dangerous skill.
"Many, many people have said it's nearly impossible for female athletes to do it well and safely," Cecile Landi, one of Biles' coaches, said during the episode. "She likes to prove everyone else wrong."
"She wants to push the boundaries of the sport, as well," Laurent Landi, another of her coaches, added.
Both Biles and her coaches also discussed their concerns that the International Gymnastics Federation — or FIG — would not reward the Yurchenko double pike with a score that reflects the difficulty of the stunt. And though their fears were realized when Biles debuted the vault, Biles suggested that her team "already kind of have our agenda of the things that we'd want to say back."
Check out the exclusive clip from "Simone vs Herself" Episode 2, which premieres Tuesday on Facebook Watch: