Jordan Chiles is the heartbeat of the UCLA Bruins! But let’s be real, coming back to UCLA wasn’t a walk in the park. Sure, now she’s owning Perfect 10s, sky-high skills, Olympic medals, and an attitude that’s as cool as it gets. But not too long ago, she was crushed. And who wouldn’t be? One day, she’s basking in Olympic glory with a bronze medal in the floor exercise around her neck, and the next, poof! Gone, snatched away. Most people would’ve called it quits right then and there, but not Jordan. So what did she?

She took a deep breath, wiped away the tears, and marched right back into the gym because giving up? Yeah, that’s just not in her DNA. And, of course, it all started because of Simone Biles. How?

Well, when Jordan Chiles was feeling completely broken, Simone was right there in the mix, day in and day out. But then, Jordan got a call from the Gold Over America Tour, which Simone was headlining alongside other top competitors. Being surrounded by all that energy, moving her body again, it just felt… good. But even that wasn’t enough. She needed something bigger, something more to truly heal. So, she leaped, and that’s when UCLA came into the picture.

Chiles returned for her junior season at UCLA, but it came with one big catch! There was still one thing weighing on her: the fear of stepping back onto the competition floor. After everything that had happened, the idea of being judged again in such a public, intense way felt overwhelming. The last time she competed, it all spiraled into something so traumatic that those memories were hard to shake.

She had second thoughts, and they were loud. “I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m going to compete on a competition floor again,'” Chiles says. “I’m going to get looked at. People are going to yell crazy things. The negativity is just going to keep coming.” Honestly, who could blame her? That kind of pressure is enough to make anyone hesitate. But Chiles had committed. She was returning to UCLA, and that meant pushing through those fears, no matter how daunting. And now, look at her.

A perfect 10—something that’s become almost mythical in NCAA gymnastics—is now part of Chiles’ routine. She has attained three flawless scores of 10.0 points so far, with two of them for her floor routine. Despite her impressive achievements, she faced some challenges. But she found a silver lining in her UCLA teammate!

Emma Malabuyo helped Jordan Chiles shake off doubts

At UCLA, Emma Malabuyo and Jordan Chiles have a beautiful. After her comeback, despite being in the middle of a difficult situation, the Oregon native continued to be a pillar of support for her team. “All practice, I hear her like, ‘I want you to smile! I want you to celebrate that stick, enjoy it,” Olympian Malabuyo shared with ESPN. What’s more, the friendship between the two Olympians becomes all the more evident through their little actions of love. One such instance was Chiles inviting Malabuyo over to her room so that she could braid her hair! “It was very kind and such a sweet and authentic moment between us.”

The persistent support and the genuine love and admiration that Jordan Chiles provided brought about significant change for her teammates. Jordan took great care to deliver the same love she shared with others. She offers steady support to her teammates by approaching them for compliments, which helps build their spirits after each practice session. Malabuyo shared the story of when she was in Paris, which shows the depth of friendship they share. During a difficult practice session, Chiles encountered self-doubt, which she discussed by saying, “Sometimes it’s hard finding my identity with what happened this past summer.”

Those moments of self-doubt hit hard, but Malabuyo was there to remind her that it was okay to feel that way and that she wasn’t alone. Despite everything, Jordan Chiles is becoming this vibrant, cheering force at UCLA—a far cry from the struggles she faced. And now, together with Malabuyo, the duo has been a huge part of the Bruins’ success, helping them snag the Big Ten Conference Gymnastics Championship with a score of 198.450, the best ever in the Conference’s history. With perfect 10s from Chiles and Malabuyo’s consistently strong performances, they’ve shown that with a little guidance and a lot of heart, you can turn anything around.