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Gymnast Evan Manivong Sticks Vault and Shows Vaccine Card

Even After Sticking the Landing, This Gymnast Was Most Proud to Show Off His Vaccine Card

Running full speed toward a stationary object (as Haley Graham describes in Stick It) is terrifying, as are the flips onto and off of the vault. So, to stick the landing after flipping and twisting in the air repeatedly is incredible in itself, but University of Illinois gymnast Evan Manivong, a sophomore, added a little extra flare to what appears to be a solid Tsukahara ("Tsuk" for short) with two-and-a-half twists in a laid out position. Once he landed this vault, seen above, he pulled out a flash card from his leotard, showing it off proudly. Spoiler alert: it was his COVID-19 vaccination card!

"It's my vaccination card... go get vaccinated everyone!" Manivong, who was just named a College Gymnastics Association regular-season All-American on the vault, wrote on Twitter afterwards. He received a 14.750 for this vault on March 22, which tied his career-high (note: men's collegiate gymnastics is not scored out of a 10.00 like women's gymnastics; it uses the same scoring system seen in elite gymnastics). Way to go, Manivong: you got a stuck landing and a vaccine jab stuck in your arm to help the US achieve herd immunity. That's quite the accolade indeed!

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