A week after reviving her Prince routine to honor fans during a meet at Minnesota, Chiles seamlessly transitioned back at Pauley Pavilion to her energetic routine set to a medley of hits by icons Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner. The result was a crowd-pleasing perfect 10, firing up the Valentine’s Day home crowd and helping seal No. 4 UCLA’s 197.725-196.975 win over No. 9 Michigan.
It was Chiles’ fourth straight 10 on floor and fifth perfect score this season.
The Bruins (9-2, 5-0 Big Ten) entered the meet averaging a team score of 197.404 and remained consistent, delivering modest improvement that has proven hard for Big Ten opponents to beat.
UCLA opened the competition on the vault.
Tiana Sumanasekera tied a career-best with a 9.9. Katelyn Rosen scored a 9.875, Chiles a 9.825, Ashlee Sullivan a 9.850, Riley Jenkins a 9.775 and Madisyn Anyimi a 9.750.
The Wolverines (5-3, 2-3) led 49.325 to 49.225 after the first rotation.
The Bruins pulled ahead on the bars, taking a 98.725-98.250 lead.
Nola Matthews, Chiles and Sullivan all scored 9.925 marks, while Sumanasekera posted a 9.90 and Ciena Alipio and Sydney Barros both scored 9.850.
UCLA maintained a 148.075-147.725 lead after the beam rotation.
Alipio and Barros scored a 9.9, while Chiles scored a 9.875, Rosen a 9.850, Jordis Eichman a 9.825 and Sumanasekera a 9.775.
The Bruins closed with their showstoppers on the floor exercise.
Chiles notched her 10; Alipio scored a 9.950; Barros, Rosen and Sumanasekera earned 9.900 marks; and Sullivan scored a 9.875.
UCLA competes at unranked Illinois on Feb. 22 before returning home for a Big Fours meet on Feb. 27 against Ohio State, Iowa and Maryland — all ranked in the top 25.
Incoming Chilean President José Antonio Kast conducted a tour of Central America and the Caribbean, meeting with the presidents of the Dominican Republic, Panama and El Salvador to discuss security and organized crime in the region. Photo by Olivier Hoslet/EPA
SANTIAGO, Chile, Feb. 4 (UPI) — Chileans want more restrictive laws for unauthorized migrants and even the imposition of prison sentences, according to the latest Plaza Pública survey by public opinion firm Cadem.
The survey results were released after president-elect José Antonio Kast conducted a tour of Central America and the Caribbean this week.
Kast, who will take office in March, met with the presidents of the Dominican Republic, Panama and El Salvador to discuss security and organized crime in the region.
In El Salvador, he also visited the Terrorism Confinement Center, or Cecot, the notorious maximum-security mega prison promoted by President Nayib Bukele.
The Cadem survey found that 79% of respondents believe Chile should adopt a more restrictive migration policy than the current one. In addition, 74% said they agree with having a law that sets prison sentences for irregular migration, while 81% approve of expelling all irregular migrants.
However, 61% said they would support regularizing migrants who can prove they have formal employment.
Immigration was one of the most prominent issues in Kast’s presidential campaign, with proposals such as expelling irregular migrants, installing physical barriers at unauthorized border crossings and limiting the transfer of remittances abroad.
Chile’s migration conflict centers on a crisis of irregular immigration that has strained public services, including health care, education and housing, and increased perceptions of insecurity.
Kast has promoted with neighboring countries the opening of a humanitarian corridor to allow migrants to leave. He has also announced that during his first 90 days in office, he will submit to Congress a bill to classify irregular entry into Chile as a crime, which is currently considered only an administrative offense.
“The migration issue was a central topic of the presidential campaign that has just ended and, therefore, it will also be a central issue for the government that begins in March,” Republican Party lawmaker Stephan Schubert, tied to the incoming president’s coalition, told UPI.
For that reason, he emphasized the need to work on a migration reform to address all the changes that are required.
“It is an issue that needs to be put in order by the future government, and that involves strengthening borders to prevent irregular crossings, but also modifying legislation to establish irregular entry into Chile as a crime,” he said.
Schubert also said priority must be given to “the expulsion of those foreign citizens who, by administrative resolution or court ruling, must leave our country.”
Deputy-elect Fabián Ossandón, from the right-wing Partido de la Gente, told UPI that Kast should push for a deep migration reform, with a priority focus on the northern regions of the country, which border Peru and Bolivia.
“That agenda must include border control with technology and intelligence, effective expulsions of those who violate regulations, regularization processes with clear and demanding requirements, and real regional coordination with neighboring countries,” he said.
One obstacle for the new government is that it will not hold a majority in Congress to approve all of its reforms with the support of the center-right alone, forcing it to seek consensus.
Migration policy specialist Byron Duhalde, of the Center for Migration Studies at the University of Santiago, said the future president’s idea of modifying migration categories requires changes to the law.
“An absolute majority in Congress is required to approve modifications. The parties that are part of the new government do not have the necessary votes,” Duhalde said.
However, Ossandón defended the possibility, arguing that “there is broad-based citizen support to move forward with deep changes, and Congress has a responsibility to legislate on the real priorities of people and the country.”
He added: “On this matter, it is key to act with determination and coordination to push for an effective migration reform that provides certainty, order and clear rules, and that can be implemented as quickly as possible.”
Political analyst Guillermo Bustamante, an assistant professor in the the Faculty of Communications of the University of the Andes, said Kast will be forced to build bridges to advance legislative reforms.
“Here, the figures of his political committee, the presidents of governing and opposition parties, as well as parliamentary caucus leaders, will be relevant,” Bustamante said, adding that the first days of the new administration will be key for the opposition to define its own course of action.
“What we have seen so far does not allow us to ensure that migration will find an agreement between the parties, nor that there is an intention to engage in dialogue around this issue with a 20-year outlook,” he said.
Nevertheless, Duhalde noted that given the positions of political parties on migration, significant cross-party agreement exists on tightening certain measures.
“It is an issue in which the coalition of parties that will be governing will indeed have opportunities to negotiate with the Party of the People, for example, to secure the missing votes needed to legislate on this matter,” he said.
He said he believes clear results will only be achieved if authorities manage to respond to migrants’ needs.
“The challenge will be to design strategies and measures that respond in a balanced way in terms of security, but also protect the fundamental rights of these people in vulnerable situations, linked to the political, social and economic crisis in Venezuela,” Duhalde said.
No. 5 UCLA women’s gymnastics (6-2, 2-0) hosted Washington (2-4, 1-1) at Pauley Pavilion on Friday night for a prime-time Big Ten matchup. The Bruins continued to demonstrate just how hungry they are for a national championship by flexing their deep roster in 198.150-195.825 win over the Huskies.
Jordan Chiles earned another perfect score on her floor routine, capping off a night that would give her another all-around individual title.
UCLA established its dominance from the beginning. During their rotation on the vault, they finished with a total score of 49.425. Tiana Sumanasekera set the tone with a 9.875 performance.
Madisyn Anyimi followed it by earning a 9.900, her best score on the event as a Bruin. Katelyn Rosen and Riley Jenkins both earned 9.850 marks. Anchoring the vault was Chiles who closed with a 9.950.
The Huskies posted a score of 49.325 on the uneven bars.
UCLA added to their lead on the uneven bars. Ciena Alipio was close to perfect with a routine that earned her a 9.950. Keeping up with her teammate, Sydney Barros followed with a 9.925.
Sumanasekera and Sullivan, both freshmen, scored 9.825 and 9.875, respectively. Chiles earned a 9.975, which brought up the team’s total to 98.975.
Washington earned a 48.925 on vault, falling behind UCLA by .750.
UCLA extended their lead on the balance beam, with Rosen and Barros opening the third rotation with 9.850 scores. Jordis Eichman took it up a notch with a 9.875 on her only event of the night.
Chiles earned a 9.950, extending her all-around lead. Alipio added another 9.950, maintaining a Bruins lead of 148.450-147.525 going into the final event.
During their anchor event, UCLA continued to shine with a 9.925 floor routine by Rosen. Both Alipio and Sumanasekera added to the lead with a 9.900 and a 9.925, respectively. Sullivan earned her best mark on the floor with a 9.950.
Chiles saved the best for last, earning a perfect score on her performance bringing the rotation total to 49.700. Chiles had perfect scores on floor and vault against Michigan State on Sunday.
José Antonio Kast of the far-right Republican Party was elected president of Chile last month in a 58%-to-42% rout of rival Jeannette Jara, the Communist Party standard-bearer.
Campaigning on a promise to expel undocumented migrants and crack down on crime, Kast finished second to Jara in the first round of elections but dominated the runoff.
“Here, a person didn’t win, a political party didn’t win,” Kast said in his victory speech. “Chile won. The hope of living without fear won. We are going to face very difficult times, where we will have to make important decisions, and that requires a cohesive team.”
Kast, 59, promised to bring order back to the streets.
A member of the Chamber of Deputies for 16 years, he founded the Republican Party in 2019. He ran for president two years prior, receiving 8% of the vote, and collected 44% in 2021, when he ran against Gabriel Boric.
With his election, Chile joins Ecuador and Bolivia in what appears to be a right-wing shift in Latin American politics. Honduras could add a fourth domino to the pile should Honduras’s Nasry Asfura be confirmed as winner of last month’s disputed election.
Along with expelling undocumented immigrants, Kast has promised to increase police resources and deploy the military to violent areas. Public debt was expected to reach 42.2% of GDP by the end of 2025. To bring down that figure, Kast says he will implement austerity measures that include cutting $6 billion in public spending over 18 months.
Kast has also promised to live in the Palacio de La Moneda, the traditional seat of the president—the first time a president will live there since 1958.
Plans to boost investment with lower taxes and fewer regulations aim to improve Chile’s GDP growth to 4% annually, up from 2.6% in 2024. This will require negotiation with Congress, where the right wing holds a majority, but will still require center-left votes, especially in the Senate. “Chile is going to have real change, which you will begin to perceive soon,” Kast predicted. “There are no magic solutions here. Things don’t change overnight. This requires a lot of unity, dedication, and many sacrifices from everyone.”
On Jan. 23, Swiss Federal Supreme Court sent the U.S. gymnast’s case back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to re-examine the matter “on the basis of an audio-visual recording” that could provide evidence in Chiles’ favor, the court said Thursday in a news release.
“The Federal Supreme Court acknowledged that this new evidence may justify a modification of the contested award,” Switzerland’s highest court stated. “It referred the case back to the CAS for it to re-examine the situation, taking this new evidence into account.”
Chiles initially was deemed the fifth-place finisher in the women’s floor exercise final on Aug. 5, 2024, but was bumped up to third place after a judging inquiry placed by U.S. coach Cecile Landi gave Chiles an extra tenth of a point.
Days later, however, the CAS ruled that Landi’s inquiry was registered four seconds too late and that Chiles’ original score of 13.666 should be restored. That decision knocked the UCLA star back down to fifth place.
Chiles, with the support of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, filed an appeal of that ruling with Switzerland’s Supreme Court in September 2024. Her appeal maintains that the CAS had refused to allow video evidence she feels would show that Landi’s inquiry was filed within the required time frame.
In its Thursday statement, the Swiss court acknowledged that the video could “lead to a modification of the contested award in favour of the applicants, since the CAS could consider, in the light of this audio-visual sequence, that the verbal inquiry made on behalf of Jordan Chiles had been made before the expiry of the regulatory one-minute time limit.
“The Federal Supreme Court therefore partially overturns the contested award and refers the case back to the CAS for a new ruling, taking into account the probative value of the audio-visual recording in question.”
In a statement emailed to The Times on Thursday, the CAS agreed with the Swiss court’s ruling that “new evidence provided by the athlete after the CAS decision justifies a re-examination of the appeal.”
“During the Olympic Games, CAS renders sporting decisions in a demanding time frame,” the statement read. “CAS cannot reopen a closed procedure without the agreement of all Parties. Following the [Swiss Supreme Court’s] decision, CAS can now ensure a thorough judicial review of the new evidence that has since been made available.”
Maurice M. Suh, one of the attorneys representing Chiles, issued a statement Thursday praising the decision.
“We are delighted that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has righted a wrong and given Jordan the chance she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,” Suh said. “… We appreciate that Jordan will receive a full and fair opportunity to defend her bronze medal. She is ready to fight vigorously, and we look forward to helping her achieve that result.”
Since premiering her new floor routine, Olympic medalist and Bruin Jordan Chiles has been riding a surge of emotions. Her choreography has gone viral, and she placed first in back-to-back meets which helped push her to the top of the national ranks with multiple all-around individual titles.
“I’ve tried everything,” Chiles said before her triumphant moment during a team victory at Michigan State. “The scores are the scores. This is the beginning of the process of the judges getting back into the flow of things.”
Instead of focusing on a matter she has no control over, Chiles said she’s having fun and doing the best she can every time she hits the mat.
“Is every single time going to be perfect?” Chiles asks. “Probably not, but I’m going to make it as perfect as I can.”
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The choreography was one of the hardest elements to figure out — topping her last viral floor routine that featured Prince’s music initially felt impossible. During her run to the 2024 Paris Olympics, she heavily featured Beyoncé in her floor routine and received a bouquet of flowers from the legend. Chiles’ final UCLA floor routine started to click once she realized it wasn’t about surpassing herself, but rather showcasing what the future holds and inspiring young gymnasts to be themselves.
“It’s being authentic to who you are and authentic in ways that you want to shine and do what you have to do,” Chiles said.
The music supporting her performance includes icons Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner, a deliberate choice by Chiles. She wanted to highlight the legacy of the uniform she’s worn for the last four years as a Bruin.
Her experience on “Dancing With the Stars” during the summer, when she finished third, broadened her palette of dance styles. Being around talented dancers helped her see what dance elements could be added to her floor routine, said BJ Das, associate head coach and choreographer of the Bruins.
“She’s like a sponge,” Das said. “She learns quickly and she observes and she really takes in the world around her.”
When they came together to devise the last routine of her college career, they wanted to create a piece that would be timeless and engage the audience. Chiles wanted to bring people together through joy, passion and energy with music everybody would love.
“We wanted people on their feet, getting into it,” Das said. “… I think that’s always been her mark, on the sport of gymnastics … just really being herself.”
Collaborating came naturally for Chiles and Das. Through their years together, the trust they built turned the process into a fun experience that came together faster than expected.
“When I bring her ideas, she’s generally on board and she’ll have her own ideas and we just feed off each other,” Das said.
The work doesn’t stop between competitions. Throughout the week they focus on refining Chiles’ form and sticking landings as they fine-tune her overall performance. The routine is advanced, requiring significant endurance and cardio training.
Das also works on making the presentation crisper and sharper each week.
“The performance for her is so natural that it’s always gonna be there,” Das said. “I just want the movement quality to keep elevating as the season goes on and she gets more and more comfortable with the routine.”
UCLA gymnasts Nola Matthews and Tiana Sumanasekera cheer as Jordan Chiles lands a jump during her floor routine at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 17.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Any time she hits the mat, Das wants Chiles’ performance to shine a light on her impact on the sport of gymnastics. She wants the routine to exemplify Chiles’ voice in the sport — showing the importance of versatility and staying true to herself.
From her air guitar movement during the Stevie Wonder section to the shimmy during the Tina Turner section, every movement in the exercise captures her personality.
“I hope that this routine just emphasizes the freedom that you can have while being in the sport of gymnastics,” Das said.
Chiles’ floor routine allows her to command the attention of everyone in the building. Fans in the stands all get on their feet when it’s her turn to compete. She’s the anchor of the UCLA floor rotation. Her teammates long ago memorized her routine and enthusiastically cheer her on every time she competes. The audience roars approval after she executes a fun dance sequence or a difficult tumbling sequence. Her coaches grin and join the crowd cheering for Chiles.
“I’ve always wanted to dance and I’m an entertainer,” Chiles said. “I love entertaining people not just because of my sport, but just because I know I have the opportunity to really show the world that there are other sides of me. I am more than just a gymnast.”
UCLA coach Janelle McDonald knew Chiles eventually would clinch her elusive perfect 10 as the Bruins work to improve their scores with an eye on winning a national championship.
“Jordan rises when the pressure comes,” McDonald said.
The Bruins’ defense has improved despite star Skyy Clark’s absence while he recovers from a hamstring injury.
“If you don’t give up layups and dunks, you’ve got a chance to stop people,” Cronin said. “However you accomplish that. … We’ve been trying to adjust defensively how we do things. Stuff that obviously to the lay person you might not see. … We have some weaknesses that we have to hide.”
Whatever Cronin implemented besides leaving his starters on defense for an entire practice, it worked well. UCLA limited Purdue to 28 points in the paint and Northwestern to 24 points in the paint en route to much-needed wins.
“Really focusing with our players [on] how good can their attention to detail can be when the score doesn’t hold you accountable to that,” Close said. “… I’m just looking for how are we going to continue to get better? We did get better [Sunday]. We only had four live-ball turnovers of our 13. We obviously need to get that number down in terms of offensive fouls and travels. But I do think we made some steps in the right direction.”
The No. 3 Bruins (19-1, 9-0 Big Ten) play at Illinois (15-5, 5-4) on Wednesday before a big test Sunday against No. 10 Iowa (18-2, 9-0) at 1 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion.
Survey time
UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin has had a lot of success with the Bruins, but his yelling on the sideline also has a few detractors. So this week’s question: Do you support Mick Cronin as coach?
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