Olympic icon Jordan Chiles makes history at UCLA with perfect 10 vault something even Simone Biles never achieved

Jordan Chiles walked into Pauley Pavilion with calm focus but minutes later, she walked out with history. On Saturday night, the Olympic star did something few gymnasts ever do. She earned her first career perfect 10 on vault, a score so rare that even Simone Biles does not have one. Chiles helped the UCLA Bruins beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a loud home opener at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins won 197.325 to 195.25, and Chiles finished the night with an all-around score of 39.675, the best of the meet.The 24-year-old was already feeling confident. She had just won back-to-back Big Ten Gymnast of the Week awards. Still, the biggest moment came late, when she sprinted down the runway for her vault. Jordan Chiles performed a double-twisting Yurchenko, one of the hardest vaults in college gymnastics. It needs speed, power, and perfect timing. She landed it clean. The judges raised their scores. A 10.0 flashed on the screen. The crowd erupted.“I’m just proud that we were able to turn around from last week and really show what we really do in practice,” Chiles said, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times.

Jordan Chiles’ perfect 10 vault shows why her final UCLA season could end with a national title

The Yurchenko vault is named after Natalia Yurchenko, who created it. The move starts with a round-off onto the springboard, then a back handspring onto the vault, followed by a flip with two full twists. Sticking the landing is very hard. That is why perfect 10s on vault are rare.This score came at the college level, where judges look for perfect form and a stuck landing. At the Olympic level, scoring works differently. Since 2006, elite gymnastics uses an open-ended system. Because of that, perfect 10s no longer exist internationally. That is why neither Chiles nor Simone Biles has one at the Olympics.Chiles is now in her final season at UCLA. In 2025, she led the Bruins to their first Big Ten title and a National Runner-Up finish behind the Oklahoma Sooners. Her goal this year is clear: win the National Championship.This happy moment comes after a very hard year. At the Paris Olympics, Chiles lost her floor exercise bronze medal after a scoring dispute. The medal was later given to Ana Barbosu, following a ruling by the International Olympic Committee. Chiles had briefly moved into third place behind Rebeca Andrade and Simone Biles after a U.S. appeal.Speaking on the “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast, Chiles said the online reaction was painful. “I started almost literally getting racist comments… people were telling me to kill myself, and it got to a really, really tough point,” she said.Even so, Chiles has not closed the door on another Olympic run. “The 2028 Olympics is always going to be in my mind,” she said during UCLA media availability.For now, she is focused on finishing strong. And with a perfect 10 now on her resume, Jordan Chiles has already made this season unforgettable.