Simone Biles Refusal to ‘Vault of Death’ Fires Gymnastics Community into Debate: “More Difficult than YDP”

Simone Biles is a straight-up legend, right? The stuff she does in gymnastics is wild, like five moves named after her. One of the insane moves is the Yurchenko double pike vault aka the Biles II. It’s the hardest vault out there, with a 6.4 difficulty score, the highest in women’s gymnastics. She does a round-off on the springboard, a back handspring onto the vaulting table, and then two flips with straight legs. Simone made history by being the first woman to land it at the World Championships, and she even won Olympic gold with it, scoring 15.300, way ahead of everyone else. But here’s a fun thought: what if there was a move Simone straight-up refused to do? And yes she did it!

We all know how wild it is to flip through the air, do two-and-a-half somersaults, and somehow land on your feet, right? Well, this is a move so tough that just trying it can boost a judge’s score, but failing? Yeah, that could seriously be life-threatening. It’s called the “Vault of Death” for a reason. Recently, a video of Yelena Produnova doing this crazy vault from 1999 went viral on X, posted by a user named Pamchenkova. Produnova, a Russian gymnast, debuted the move back in ’99, and while it didn’t win her the gold, it definitely got everyone talking. One wrong move and the gymnast could snap their neck, crack their head open, or even become paralyzed.

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.

Fans say Simone Biles could do it but should she? The debate over the deadly vault

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.

The Yurchenko double pike is no joke. It’s one of the hardest moves because there’s no backup plan. If you mess it up or are off in the air even a little bit, it could end terribly, landing on your neck or head. And it’s not just vaults like this that show how insane Biles is. Think about her triple-double: it took 15 years for anyone to pull off a move like that after the first male gymnast did the triple-twisting double somersault on the floor.

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!

The front handspring double front half-out is called the Dragulescu, after Romanian gymnast Marius Dragulescu, who first performed it in 1999. Rated at a 5.6 difficulty, the Dragulescu is still one of the most difficult vaults in men’s gymnastics, and no woman has ever attempted it in competition. In the 2004 Olympics, Dragulescu earned a 9.900 for sticking the vault, a feat that’s still remembered today.

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.