The UCLA Bruins are in for a terrific season! With a 5-2 record till now, the Bruins have established their supremacy on the mat. They emerged victorious in the ESPN Invitational on January 11 against Arkansas, Kentucky, and Ohio State. The program had two back-to-back defeats in the early stages of this season. But after that, the UCLA gymnastics team has been unstoppable and claimed three victories in a row. Jordan Chiles’ presence has also boosted the team’s performance.

In the Bruins’ home opener against Illinois on January 25, Chiles made a comeback to Westwood for the first time since winning team gold at the Paris Olympics. She did not disappoint the roaring crowd as Chiles nailed her final pass for a team-high 9.950 in floor exercise and a meet-best 49.500 rotation score. Riding on that and other strong performances No. 8 UCLA easily handled Illinois 197.200 to 194.750. Indeed, the team foresees a successful season. But hold on, there might be a few obstacles.

In a disheartening turn of events, a UCLA gymnast who has had recognition on uneven bars and balance beam will not grace the roster this season. It’s a decisive loss for the team and the fans alike.

On January 29, Jordan Chiles’s Trojan mate Sasha Fujisaka sealed the fate of the ongoing discussion. She was in the Bruins’ practice session before the season opener. However, she had suffered an injury during practice. On January 17, Bruins insider Aaron Doyle revealed on X that Fujisaka sustained a season-ending injury and won’t compete for the Bruins this year. On Wednesday (January 29), everyone’s doubts and questions were put to rest. There was a final answer.

In her Instagram post, Sasha confirmed her present state, “A torn acl is definitely not how I imagined my freshman season to end but I am still beyond blessed to be a part of such an amazing team💙.” Sasha will not join Jordan and her other teammates on the mat this season. A massive blow for the fans! But the Bruins’ coach had hinted at witnessing such an ending a few weeks ago. 

On January 4, coach Janelle McDonald faced questions about Sasha Fujisaka’s absence in the season opener. Unfortunately, the coach didn’t have any positive updates to share. Rather, the sports journalist Benjamin Royer’s tweet claimed, “Janelle McDonald said Sasha Fujisaka is unavailable for the foreseeable future as she awaits imaging on an undisclosed injury.”

Now, the freshman’s injury news is in the public domain. She needs time to reclaim her fitness. The freshman stated she is fortunate enough to earn an “overwhelming amount of love and support.” Well, there is no lie that the gymnast has received so much love and admiration from her well-wishers. Back in 2023, the Level 10 standout had signed National Letters of Intent with UCLA on the first day of the signing period. 

Sasha, a San Jose, Calif. native who trains at Airborne Gymnastics, is a three-time Level 10 National Championships competitor and three-time Top 8 finisher on floor exercise. At the 2023 Nationals, she medaled on uneven bars and placed fifth on the floor. Fujisaska won the all-around, bars and beam, placed second on vault and third on floor at the 2023 Region 1 Championships, and also won the bars title in 2021.

“Sasha has a beautiful and artistic quality about her gymnastics,” R.C. Rothman UCLA Head Gymnastics Coach Janelle McDonald had said back then. “She is a consistent all-around athlete who will make an immediate impact in our lineups. She has such a positive and bright personality that makes her a natural leader and an amazing teammate. I am excited to welcome her to the Bruin Family.” As Sasha posted about her injury, McDonald couldn’t miss the moment, “You got this Sasha, and we are here with you through it all! The best is yet to come! 💙💛.” But how does the team plan to deal with Fujisaka’s absence on the mat? The coach had solutions to offer.

Jordan Chiles’s coach has things on the list 

On January 25, the Bruins came out all guns blazing at the Illinois Gymnastics. Jordan Chiles couldn’t have a perfect ten in her routine. But she had enough to keep things going. In the floor exercise, the Olympian scored 9.95. The form was almost the same in the vault event. She amassed 9.925 in that event. This time there was more to add to the excitement. Chiles was joined by Chae Campbell, claiming the same score (9.925) in the event. Chae also competed in the all-around and ended up taking the crown. Do those pictures signify anything? 

A full-attack approach, maybe! The coach has hinted at this part during her appearance in UCLA Athletics’ YouTube podcast. In the podcast, Janelle said, “We’re working on trying to get the details dialed in. We have a lot of people ready to go and compete and so they’re competing hard every day to show consistency, to show those details that are dialed in so that we can hopefully put it all together at a competition.”

Such an approach has been successful till now. The team is gathering impressive results even though they’re without an athlete who previously achieved a seventh place on the floor at the Nationals and sixth place on both vault and floor at the Region 1 Championships. The fans are surely hoping for the Bruins’ winning streak to continue.