Panamanian gymnast Hillary Heron is making her own kind of history.
Heron became the first gymnast other than Simone Biles to land a tumbling pass named after the gymnast – and she did so while competing against Simone Biles in Paris 2024 Olympics. Heron landed the move, a complicated double layout dubbed the “Biles I,” during the qualifying session on Sunday (July 28).
Biles made a comeback after retiring during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics during the same qualifying session, finishing in first place in the All-Around and advancing to the finals on the All-Around, and every individual event: vault, beam, floor and uneven bars. Team USA also advanced to the team finals, which will take place on Tuesday (July 30). Heron, on the other hand, placed 36th overall and did not qualify for the All-Around finals.
For Heron, however, this is just the beginning, as she told Olympics.com. “Definitely I want more Olympics. This is the start of my career. I’m just very, very motivated for what’s to come next,” she said.
“I think it’s the floor routine of my life, just so much work that has gone into that floor that many people wouldn’t believe, hours and hour and hours and trusting myself,” Heron said. “I couldn’t believe I had done it, and I had done it just as I imagined it when I was four years old.”
The skill that Heron performed in competition was the first skill named after Biles.
Hillary Heron also shared that she had a chance to talk to Biles before she performed the Biles I at the Paris 2024 Olympics. “When I was in the warm-up, she told me she loved my leo,” Heron said. Her leotard included references to the pollera, Panama’s traditional dress as well as Panama’s national flower.