It has been a long and eventful two months, and time passes even more quickly on the internet, so you’d be forgiven for having little to no recollection of the viral sensation that was the handstand challenge. But two Olympians are here to remind you that it is still a great test of core strength and balance.
Shawn Johnson East already proved she’s a real one when she showed off her killer ab strength doing the TikTok clock, a task which requires you to use your legs to mimic the hands on a clock face while in a handstand. She’s got nothing to prove. Still, as a bit of fun, she decided to bring back the original handstand challenge on Instagram earlier this week.
Joined in the video by Nastia Liukin, Johnson East competes with her fellow artistic gymnast to see who can be the first to put on a T-shirt while upside down in a handstand. “Who won?!” She wrote in the caption, adding: “For Olympic gymnasts we look like a MESS.”
The handstand challenge originated back in April when Spider-Man actor Tom Holland showed off the move, then challenged MCU actors Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal to try it for themselves. Reynolds declined, while Gyllenhaal posted his own attempt and challenged his sister, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, who gamely participated and in turn nominated AOC herself.
But things got taken to a whole other level once the pro athletes got involved. First, hurdler Lolo Jones upped the ante by putting on not one but two T-shirts, and casually taking a sip of wine while supporting her entire bodyweight with one hand.
Then gymnastics champion Simone Biles came up with her own even harder version of the challenge: putting on a pair of sweatpants while in a free handstand, a feat which Katelyn Ohashi then perfectly recreated — with a touch of additional, Ohashi-style artistic flair.
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