Jordan Chiles has never been one to shy away from a challenge, but this time, she’s pushing the limits even more despite a recent injury. “She hurt her tailbone this week,” Chiles’s mother shared a week back. But if you think that’s going to stop Chiles, think again. She’s not only ready to compete at the Big Ten Gymnastics Championships for UCLA, but she’s also planning to bust out a ‘dangerous’ move: the double Yurchenko full vault. But why? Well, reason will shock you!
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In a recent interview at the Big Ten Championships Pre-Meet Press Conference, UCLA’s coach, Janelle McDonald, was asked about the potential for Jordan Chiles to bring out a major vault move at the upcoming competition. The question came after Chiles attempted the double Yurchenko full vault last week, leaving fans wondering if it would make a return this weekend. The answer? “It’s a possibility, yeah,” McDonald said, giving fans a glimpse of what might be coming.
But here’s where it gets interesting. The interviewer followed up, asking, “If she does go for it, what would be the reasoning for the change? She scores well with the vault she was doing before.” McDonald’s response? It was spot on! Jordan Chiles has been shaking things up this season with her vaults. On March 16th, she performed a double-twisting Yurchenko, scoring a 9.775.
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This came as a bit of a surprise because her other vault, a round-off/half-on front tuck with a half-off, has been averaging over a 9.90 all season long. To put it in perspective, back on February 1st, she scored a 9.925 on vault, but a major deduction on uneven bars hurt UCLA’s overall event score. Even in January, she added a 9.925 on vault, so it’s been a bit inconsistent with her this season.
So, what’s going on? Coach Janelle McDonald shed some light on why Jordan made the switch. “We feel like she’s scoring a little inconsistent with the other vault, so she’s been working to get her double full back in the last few weeks,” McDonald explained. “It’s become much more consistent again, and she was excited to pull it back out outside of the gym. You know, she hasn’t done it since the Olympics outside the gym, so last week was kind of like getting her feet wet with it.” McDonald was quick to add that they knew the landing might not be perfect.
Looking ahead, McDonald explained why the double Yurchenko full might be the better choice for the postseason. “It doesn’t have any built-in deductions, and that’s why we’re considering going that way,” McDonald said. “We trained both vaults this week, so we’ll see what it looks like on the podium and decide from there. If we can take it outside the gym and land cleanly, that’s the plan.”
Jordan’s performance in the postseason seems to indicate that she will finally execute the double Yurchenko full and resolve her problems with inconsistency. However, as the Big Ten Championships are underway, can this injury affect her?
Jordan Chiles shakes off injury
Last week, Jordan Chiles was dealing with a pretty painful tailbone injury after a scooter mishap in the rain. Her mom, Gina, posted on X that Jordan was feeling it during pretty much every event, especially on the vault and floor. With the postseason coming up, people were wondering if she’d be able to shake it off in time. But fast forward to March 21, and Jordan let her gymnastics speak for itself.
At the Big Ten Championships podium training, she nailed her Yurchenko double full—landed it clean, with no hesitation. It was like the injury never happened! Gina took to Instagram with just four words: “I’ve missed you DTY,” and it was clear—Jordan was back in action. Just a week ago, she was battling through pain, but now she was sticking landings like a pro.
As of March 22, Jordan was showing off her power in warm-ups on the floor in the Big Ten Championships. And she is showing no signs of that scooter fall, slowing her down. With the postseason right around the corner, Jordan’s comeback is a huge boost for UCLA. When she’s on, she’s unstoppable! As for the risk? Well, she has to do with it. There’s no two ways around it.
