I know that women’s gymnastics probably isn’t high on the list of interests among my readership, but listen, you NEED to see and understand what this chick did. McKayla Maroney performed the single greatest, biggest and most perfect feat in all of gymnastics history – both male and female – EVER, and by a huge, huge margin. She did a vault that was so difficult, so massive, and so perfect that it will become a cultural reference point.
What blows my mind is the ability to do what she did at the apex of her career, at the Olympic games, with a billion-plus people watching. Her entire life up to this point has been a massive preparation for one moment – literally about FOUR SECONDS – and not only did she not choke, my girl stepped up like a stone-cold boss and threw down not only the single greatest vault of her entire life, but the single greatest gymnastic action in all of history.
Think about that. Think about the courage required to be staring down the moment that your entire life to that point has been planning and training for, and to step up and throw yourself as hard as you possibly could, harder than you had ever done it before, and to have that confidence and aggression yield … perfection.
When you watch the video below, be sure to watch her reaction afterward. It is pure joy. There isn’t a hint of pride or arrogance. It is just perfect joy. For the rest of her life, she will be able to look back at that moment and know that she fully actualized. No regrets, just, “Yes.”
UPDATE: McKayla Maroney, henceforth to be referred to as “The Boss” or “Sir”, did that with a broken big toe.
