Simone Biles has left us all in awe for years with her mind-blowing Yurchenko double pike on vault—a move so legendary it’s scored her some of the highest marks of her career and helped secure a collection of gold medals. But on Tuesday, Biles took to Instagram with a post that marked the end of an era, throwing a mock funeral for the iconic move.
Dressed in an all-white ensemble, the gymnastics queen shared two photos of herself perched atop a vaulting table, surrounded by flowers.
“Rest in peace Yurchenko double pike,” she captioned the post.
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The post left fans in a frenzy and even USA Gymnastics chimed in with a comment that read, “gone, but literally never forgotten.”
The Yurchenko double pike is no ordinary vault. This gravity-defying feat involves a round-off entry, a back handspring onto the vault and two flips in the air. Biles made history by being the first woman to ever land it back in May 2021. Fast forward to October 2023, and the move was renamed the Biles II after she nailed it again at the World Championships in Belgium.
Despite a calf injury, Biles still managed to pull off this impressive move at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she added four more medals to her collection, bringing her total to a record-breaking 11 Olympic medals. And let’s not forget, she’s now officially the most decorated U.S. gymnast in history.
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The mock funeral post comes after Biles shared photos from a stunning photoshoot featuring all her Olympic medals. The first slide shows Biles rocking a white mini-dress, sitting amidst white drapes and flowers, biting down on one of her shiny medals. The rest of her bling is arranged on steps draped in white cloth.
Her caption? “6-year-old me would be proud.” And honestly, who wouldn’t be?
By the way, that post has already racked up 3.4 million likes and counting, with thousands of comments pouring in to celebrate the GOAT of gymnastics.
