Go get vaccinated everyone! Manivong's gesture goes viral on social media

Bengaluru, April 6: University of Illinois gymnast Evan Manivong won plaudits all over the world with his grand gesture of showing the COVID-19 vaccination card during a college event.

Manivong nailed his vault routine with a perfect landing to tie his career-high score of 14.750 during the team's meet against Minnesota on March 22.

Then much to the surprise of many, he reached inside his jersey and flashed out the card to send across the "go get vaccinated" message loud and clear.

It’s my vaccination card... go get vaccinated everyone! https://t.co/Of7IE0QvXj

— E v a n (@evanmanivong) March 23, 2021

But initially, no one could make out what exactly he was up to.

".@evanmanivong ties his career-high with a 14.750! We're not sure what was on that card either..." a tweet from the official tournament account read.

In response to the tweet, Manivong set the record straight.

"It's my vaccination card... go get vaccinated everyone!" he wrote.

Gymnast @evanmanivong stuck the landing and then celebrated by showing off his vaccination card.

🎥: @IlliniMGym pic.twitter.com/45HQvxHdNT

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 5, 2021

The 20-year-old had started it off as a joke. But a video resurfaced on Monday (April 5) after a tweet sharing the moment went viral, garnering over 6,000 retweets and over 34,000 likes.

"Sign me up for one of those cards," an announcer joked after watching Manivong's routine. "That was amazing."

Manivong said he had practiced it so hard that he was sure he would clinch with the card in advance so he would be ready to revel once he landed.

"I felt pretty confident. I did my warm-up with my vaccination card in there so I knew it was all good and ready," Manivong was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

(With inputs from Agencies)