For UCLA fans, 2025 was projected to be a year to remember. And they can somewhat thank Jordan Chiles for that. After her Paris Olympics medal fiasco, the 23-year-old gymnastics sensation announced she would be returning to college to continue her NCAA career with the Bruins, and the community went berserk with anticipation. But it seems like it wasn’t only the fans in California who were waiting to catch a glimpse of Chiles’ return to the collegiate circuit.

On Saturday night, the Bruins traveled to XFINITY Center in College Park, Maryland, and trampled over the Maryland Terps to secure a major 197.550-194.850 victory. There, Jordan showed her prowess with gusto as she posted a perfect 10 on the bars, only the second perfect score of the 2025 NCAA gymnastics season, a day after Missouri’s Helen Hu bagged hers on the beam. And yet, despite the loss, all Maryland fans wanted to do was share the same space with the Olympian.

It was a record-making night in Maryland! 7,287 fans flocked to the XFINITY Center to watch the visitors from California lock horns with the Terps. However, a post by Gymnastics Now on X from January 18 would make it seem most of that enthusiasm was prompted by the prospect of witnessing Jordan Chile in her natural habitat. Captioned, “Much of a record crowd at UCLA vs. Maryland stayed to see Jordan Chiles after the Bruins’ win!” The social media update showed Chiles reveling in the Maryland fans’ applause after UCLA’s triumph.

She also responded back by throwing a towel into the crowd and posing for the cameras with a “10.00” placard in her hands. The crowd, evidently head-over-heels to see Simone Biles’ BFF in close proximity, could barely keep calm and cheered for Jordan with all their air in their lungs. Many young fans could also be spotted in the stands, clearly soaking in the atmosphere and looking up to the Olympic gold medalist for inspiration to continue their own pursuit of the sport.

In a post by the official Big Ten Gymnastics official account on X, Chiles was also seen signing autographs for the fans, and some fans could hardly believe that it was real that they were getting a special memento from the national gymnastics icon. UCLA’s third NCAA week turned out to be an incredible one thanks to Jordan’s impeccable performance. However, it shouldn’t be surprising that the fans from the opposite camp huddled to catch a glimpse of her despite the team’s loss. After all, her laurels speak for themselves!

Jordan Chiles looks solid on her way to compensate for the Paris heartbreak

On Saturday night, it wasn’t just on the uneven bars that Chiles displayed her skills in all its glory. Jordan also shared the individual title with her teammate Brooklyn Moors in the floor exercise after posting an incredible 9.950. With that, the UCLA junior student-athlete ran away with the All-Around title as well, thanks to an emphatic cumulative score of 39.500. She returned to UCLA after a year-long break for the Paris Games and has been making waves with her incredible skills. A determination that was evoked by her Olympic misfortune, maybe?

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Washington native was part of the scintillating Team USA women’s contingent that won gold in the team event. Along with that, several members of the team also bagged individual accolades, which included Simone Biles’ staggering 3 gold medal-hauling performances. Chiles won bronze in the floor exercise final, further cementing her elite status. But soon, it all came crashing down.

Just five days after Chiles’ victory in the City of Love, the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sports) notified her that she needed to hand over the hardware to Romania’s Ana Barbosu. It was cited that the USA’s inquiry, which brought the medal to Jordan at the Olympics, was made beyond the specified time period (four seconds beyond the one-minute time limit). It was a bolt from the blue, and everyone from Simone Biles to US Democratic Representative Stephen Cohen and Chiles’ family to rapper Flava Flav used their voices to seek justice for Jordan. With the final verdict still to be announced, Chiles instead turned her attention to making an NCAA return. So far, things look promising! Wouldn’t you agree? What more do you think Jordan can achieve in her comeback year to get over the Paris nightmare fully? Tell us below!