POPSUGAR UK

Chellsie Memmel Is Back in the Gym Trying the Highest Valued Vault in Women's Gymnastics "For the Heck of It"

13/07/2021 - 10:25 PM
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Chellsie Memmel, the 2008 Olympic team medalist who officially made her competitive gymnastics comeback [3] at May's GK US Classic [4] and June's Nationals, went right back into the gym when she got word that she wouldn't be in the selection pool for Olympic Trials. Memmel, 33, is proving that she'll continue to push her limits by trying — and executing — difficult new skills at practice [5]. One challenging skill you might recognise is the Yurchenko double pike vault.

Memmel did this vault, a roundoff onto the springboard followed by a back handspring onto the vaulting table and two backflips with straight legs [6] (double pike), into a foam pit during a "Friday Funday" practice. Casual! Cool! It's not like it's the highest valued vault in women's gymnastics right now or anything! Or that this vault is so rare Simone Biles could literally get it named after her if she does it at the Olympics [7]!

Memmel said at the end of a YouTube video uploaded on July 11 (and seen in full ahead) that she tried the vault "just for the heck of it." But, with more height and rotation to pull that pike around, who's to say she can't work her way up to landing it on a mat? We're speaking it into existence.

Memmel is seriously considering training for a chance to compete at the World Championships later this year. And so the journey continues.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/watch-chellsie-memmel-do-yurchenko-double-pike-at-practice-48417291