Have you ever witnessed something in sports that’s so unreal, it makes the entire room go silent? That happened recently at the podium training ahead of the Asian Gymnastics Championships. Coaches froze. Athletes stopped mid-rep. Phones came out. Nobody saw it coming, and honestly, most people still can’t believe it happened. It wasn’t during a competition. It wasn’t on live TV. But what went down sent shockwaves through the gymnastics world. Turns out, the buzz was all about a 24-year-old athlete from Iran.
Mahdi Olfati. During what should’ve been a routine warm-up, he casually threw a Yurchenko double tuck with a full twist – one of the hardest, riskiest vaults in gymnastics. To break that down: he sprinted, flipped backwards twice in a tucked position, added a full 360° twist, and stuck the landing. Clean. No stumbles. No hesitation. Just straight fire.
The move has a difficulty rating of 4.40, and most gymnasts wouldn’t even try it outside of competition. Mahdi pulled it off in training, which was his debut in this new skill. What’s wild is that Mahdi doesn’t come from a gymnastics powerhouse.
NEW SKILL ALERT
Yurchenko double tuck with 1/1 t.
performed by Mahdi Olfati at Asian Championships podium training pic.twitter.com/AcUsY1ku4y
— Sarah (@SarahZi1998) June 3, 2025
He’s been super open about how tough it is to train in Iran, where the equipment is outdated and elite-level facilities are few and far between. “We have talented gymnasts in Iran, but we lack the proper facilities. I’m confident that in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, we will see multiple Iranian gymnasts winning medals,” he’s said before.
That’s what makes his performance even more powerful. It wasn’t just talent on display, it was hustle and fearlessness. Technically, this vault has been performed before; Bulgarian gymnast Erika Dungelova has it in her history, but it’s rare, especially in the men’s field. Now, with the 2025 Asian Championships kicking off on June 5 in South Korea, all eyes are on Mahdi. If he lands that vault in actual competition? It won’t just be a win, it’ll be a statement. And the rest of the field better be ready. And seeing him doing this, gymnastics fans are left stunned.
Despite setbacks, gymnastics fans rally behind 24-year-old athlete
One gymnastics fan added, “Holy s—.” Another chimed in, “Absolutely surreal.” And someone else just shouted, “The SPEED.” Watching Mahdi Olfati fly off that vault? It’s the kind of moment that makes your jaw drop. And rightfully so. Mahdi has always delivered such moments for fans. At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Mahdi made history, grabbing a silver medal in the men’s vault with a sharp 14.783. That wasn’t just any medal, it was Iran’s first-ever gymnastics medal at the Asian Games. He finished just behind Japan’s Wataru Tanigawa (15.016), but trust, Olfati’s performance was the one people couldn’t stop talking about. Undoubtedly, he’s a skillful athlete with power.
Despite limited resources and a federation that’s had its share of struggles, Olfati powered through to do what no Iranian gymnast had done in decades—qualify for the Olympics, the first since 1964. He clinched his spot for Paris 2024 through the FIG World Cup series, finishing second in vault qualification with 62 points. And when it came time to perform on the Olympic stage? He carried Iran’s flag at the opening ceremony, then soared to a seventh-place finish in the vault final, scoring 14.266.
One more gymnastics fan added, “Oh my god, it’s beautiful.” Another lost it completely: “Okay WHAT THE ACTUAL F— THIS IS HUGE OMG ONE OF MY DREAM SKILLS I’M SO EXCITED.” And yet another chimed in with pure hope: “So excited about this!! New 5.6 vault, really hoping he makes it in comp .” The buzz around Mahdi Olfati isn’t just hype, it’s earned. Behind those viral vaults is a story of grit. We know how much these athletes have struggled. Remember when the Iranian Gymnastics Federation was suspended for a period due to management issues, stripping athletes of critical international opportunities. But Olfati? He kept grinding. With little support, he trained, competed, and rose. That kind of resilience doesn’t just build athletes, it builds icons.
And get this, Iran doesn’t even have standard gymnastics infrastructure. We’re talking about limited equipment, outdated facilities, and barely any of the elite resources that top athletes in other countries rely on. Still, Olfati didn’t let that stop him. Every medal, every historic final, every single shout of “OMG” from fans around the world? It’s all the result of a gymnast pushing past every limit. In a world where the odds were stacked against him from the start, Mahdi didn’t just show up, he changed the game.
The post ‘F***’: Gymnastics Community Stunned as 24-Year-Old Debuts New Skill in Practice Ahead of Asian Championships appeared first on EssentiallySports.
