Simone Biles Refusal to ‘Vault of Death’ Fires Gymnastics Community into Debate: “More Difficult than YDP”
The video made the rounds, even the user captioned it, “It’s been 25 years. A quarter-century. I’m starting to wonder if we’ll ever see another double front vault done as well as Produnova’s from the ‘99 Universiade.”
That’s a huge achievement, right? But honestly, it takes major guts to try the Produnova. When Simone Biles was asked by The New Yorker why she doesn’t give it a shot, she flat-out said, “I’m not trying to die.” And of course, when that video hit the internet, fans jumped into a debate about whether the risk is worth it. Some think it’s a move that should still be pushed, while others totally get why Simone isn’t messing with it.
One fan pointed out, “When Simone was asked about it didn’t she say she didn’t want to die? Will require a truly fearless queen.” And yeah, Simone is totally fearless, she’s already done the Yurchenko double pike. She’s the only woman to pull off a double pike in competition, which is a huge deal since it involves two somersaults with her body in a piked position. That’s next-level stuff right there.
Another fan added, “Only if Biles does it, well, Biles can do the Dragulescu too.“At 27, Simone continues to push boundaries, like when she performed the YDP move at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But despite her history of pushing limits, she’s decided to say goodbye to her signature moves. In a post on Instagram, she humorously laid her Yurchenko double pike to rest, writing, “Rest in peace Yurchenko double pike 🫶🏾,” while posing in a white tracksuit surrounded by funeral flowers. The Biles II earned her three golds in Paris, but the “Vault of Death”? That’s definitely not on her to-do list. And Dragulescu vault? Big no!
Another fan added, “This deserves a higher value than the YDP. I am sorry but there is a reason why Simone hasn’t attempted this.” And that’s true- this move is a beast. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, two gymnasts, Oksana Chusovitina and Dipa Karmakar took on the “Vault of Death” in an effort to challenge Simone Biles for the gold. Chusovitina, at that time, was 41, while Karmakar made history as the first Indian gymnast to reach an Olympic final. Despite their bravery, neither nailed the move perfectly, Chusovitina’s landing was risky and Karmakar had a small stumble that cost her a shot at the podium. Nevertheless, they are part of just seven gymnasts who ever have attempted the Produnova.
Yet neither Chusovitina nor Karmakar was fully successful in executing that move. Chusovitina’s landing was far more dangerous and yet, somehow she was able to roll back up and tumble in a much more elegant fashion. Karmakar, whose coach talked about it last night, “It is a risk that we have to take,” landed on her feet but had a little scoot that might have denied her the bronze.
Another fan added, “I’m sorry but this is more difficult than YDP 🫣 DON’T HATE ME,” while another chimed in, “I really think simone can pull this off but im glad she didnt cuz it might also make a bunch of gymnast compete this even though they cant totally do it😬.”And, you know what, they both are right. The Produnova is of that sort of move which is just on the other level in terms of challenge and danger. The good thing is that Simone has the ability and courage to do that, but she knows it is deadly. It is probably for the best that she has stayed away from it, maintaining a strict schedule of the moves that she can confidently perform and setting new records while doing so.
