What Is a Moors on Floor?

The Moors is one of the highest-difficulty tumbling elements ever recognised in women’s artistic gymnastics: two backward somersaults combined with two full twists, held in a laid-out (straight-body) shape rather than the tucked or piked shapes more commonly used at this level of rotation.

How it works

The gymnast performs a double backward salto — two full backward rotations — while adding two full twists along the way, all in a laid-out body position with the legs and torso kept straight rather than bent at the hips or knees. Combining that much twist with that much rotation, in the more difficult straight shape, is what makes the skill exceptionally demanding.

Why it’s named as it is

The skill is named after Canadian gymnast Victoria Moors, who first landed it in competition during the qualifying round of the 2013 World Championships in Antwerp, and went on to perform it again in the all-around final. Her performance was significant enough that the FIG Code of Points created a new top difficulty category — the “I” value — to accommodate it, at a time when no skill in women’s gymnastics had been rated above G.

Where it sits in the difficulty table today

The Moors was the single highest-rated skill in women’s gymnastics for several years after its debut. It was overtaken in 2019 when Simone Biles’s triple-twisting double tuck was rated J, one letter higher, but the Moors remains one of the highest-difficulty tumbling elements in the sport.