Jordan Chiles earns 4th straight perfect 10 for UCLA gymnastics on floor against Michigan
“It’s a floor party for a reason. It’s the best show in LA for a reason,” said senior Jordan Chiles on the podium after the meet.
Ahead of the fourth and final rotation, UCLA gymnastics was trailing its opponent. The floor exercise has been a strength for the Bruins throughout the season.
No. 4 UCLA gymnastics (9-2, 5-0 Big Ten) defeated No. 9 Michigan (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) 197.725-196.975 in a Big Ten matchup Saturday.
Two-time Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles earned her fifth perfect 10 in five weeks on floor to close out the meet and secure the UCLA victory. After saluting the judges and exchanging high fives and hugs with her teammates, the Houston native saw her perfect 10 posted and collapsed where she was standing. She then got up and walked around the floor, making a heart gesture toward the crowd.
Chiles’s routine capped a floor lineup that featured clean lines and stuck landings.
“That collapse was like a huge relief, like man, I keep doing it over and over again,” Chiles said. “And you know, not every routine, I think that you know it’s perfect in my head, but to the judges, it’s perfect to them. So it just means everything, and I just keep stacking them.”
Chiles added: “That was my goal, right? I literally said I want to break the records so im just gonna keep doing it the best I can.”
UCLA gymnastics head coach Janelle McDonald said Chiles has been a source of energy for the team in moments. McDonald also said Chiles was under the weather this past week and was not able to practice much. Chiles still delivered the same results after being sick.
Chiles won the all-around, and teammate Tiana Sumanaserkera also posted strong scores. Sumanaserkera won vault with a 9.900, the highest score on the team. Vault was UCLA’s first rotation, and Sumanaserkera opened with a strong performance. She earned three 9.900s: on vault, bars and floor.
Sumanaserkera, a freshman, said the transition from elite to college has been an adjustment.
“It is a big difference coming from elite going straight to college and competing every weekend, you know,” Sumanaserkera said. “But I think I lean on my teammates and my coaches a lot.”
UCLA’s second event was the uneven bars. After the meet, Chiles said she approached her bar routine more nonchalantly than usual after seeing the team already had five stuck landings. McDonald said she was “very excited about the bar landings today.”
The team’s landings set the tone from senior Ciena Alipio to Chiles. UCLA showed strong execution on bars, including pointed toes and straight handstands.
It was also alumni night. When asked about the gymnasts who came before them, Chiles and Sumanaserkera said alumni left a legacy for the program. They also said the diversity of the team and its alumni is meaningful to them. Chiles said alumni laid the groundwork for athletes to express themselves, and Sumanaserkera said she has felt welcomed as a Sri Lankan American at UCLA.
UP NEXT
UCLA will next compete at Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. PST.