When gymnastics wrapped up at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, fans seemed desperate to find out if Simone Biles would stick with the sport and compete in the 2028 LA Games. The GOAT was outspoken about her annoyance at the question and refused to give it any thought, choosing instead to focus on celebrating her and Team USA's historic wins. A little over a month later, it seems like Biles is still keeping her options open. However, she is ready to say goodbye to her signature vault move, and fans have some A+ comments about it.
Not only is the 27-year-old the greatest gymnast of all time, but she also has a gold medal-winning sense of humor. During the games, she made people laugh by simultaneously showing off her GOAT necklace and shouting out her haters. Now, she’s making headlines again after she hosted a funeral, complete with an iconic photoshoot, for her signature vault move: the Yurchenko Double Pike. Check out the pics:
Simone Biles posted the photos to her Instagram account, which show her sitting on the vault in an all-white tracksuit while surrounded by white flowers. The iconic pics caused quite a stir in the comments, with fans coming out to praise her for the hilarious move:
- She said “i hope yall saw that bc i will NOT be doing it again!!” - @abbymercer_
- Sis said get somebody else to do it… we thank you for your services Simone! 😘🐐 - @cubicle2cabana
- She OWNS the vault and she knows it. Petition to rename the entire event to “The Biles”. - @ranbirpental
- It makes sense you literally Killed that vault 🐐❤️🔥 - @killsa777
The iconic moment didn’t just impress fans but also the professional gymnastics community, including the official USA gymnastics page and former Olympians. Take a look at what they had to say:
- gone, but literally never forgotten - @usagym
- 🫡 - @lauriehernadez
- I’m dead. You win (obvi) - @nastialiukin
- (It was a murder) - @iandgunther
While Yurchenko vaults are commonplace in the elite gymnastics world, Simone Biles is the only one to perform the Yurchenko Double Pike — with two flips in the air — thus getting the move named after her. The signature move is amazing to watch, but terrifying to compete. The GOAT has been outspoken about her fear when completing it, saying that all she focuses on is “trying not to die.” Still, she performed the move in both the All-Around and Vault Final events at the Paris Olympics and won gold because of it.
Despite the move helping to secure her gold medals, the gymnastics phenom previously expressed her desire to retire the skill as soon as possible. Considering she just held a funeral for said move, it seems fair to say that she will no longer be performing it. Now, before anyone jumps to conclusions, this doesn’t mean that she’s retiring from gymnastics. In fact, she’s retired her signature moves before, only to come back with more impressive ones later on.
As sad as it will be not getting to witness Biles continue to make history with the trick, I’m happy she’s putting her health and safety first. Besides, there’s still a chance to see the history-making skill when the second part of her documentary Simone Biles Rising releases on Netflix on October 25th as part of the 2024 TV schedule.
