There is a recent challenge that has been spreading across social media. Known as the “handstand challenge” it involves attempting to take your sweatpants off while performing a handstand. It goes without saying that elite gymnasts would join in on the fun.
Most attempts involve people performing a handstand with their feet against the wall to make it easier. But these gymnasts did it while performing the harder traditional handstand.
Maggie Nichols did the challenge on TikTok. Some gymnasts managed to complete it in less than 30 seconds whereas others needed closer to a minute. The type of sweatpants a gymnast is wearing significantly alters the difficulty of the challenge. The amount of friction the fabric provides as well as how tight or loose the sweatpants are around the ankles are the biggest factors in difficulty.
Simone Biles went viral after posting a video on Twitter of her completing the challenge. Dozens of major media outlets published articles about it. Katelyn Ohashi did the same on Instagram and it received more views than any video she has uploaded to her Instagram account in the last 23 months.
The handstand challenge is also popular in Russia. Vladislava Urazova did it on Instagram and tagged Simone Biles. I didn’t include it in this article because Vladislava’s Instagram account is not public. Meanwhile Jordan Chiles did her own take on the current toilet paper crisis.
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