"Empowering next generation of gymnasts"- Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes makes her feelings known on witnessing Jordan Chiles perform for UCLA

Olympic gold medalist Dominique Dawes recently expressed excitement about watching Jordan Chiles perform at the next UCLA clash while drawing similarities with her floor routine. Chiles is set to compete in the next clash in the Big Ten Conference event for the UCLA Bruins' home opener on Saturday, January 25, at the Pauley Pavilion in Westwood in Los Angeles, California.

Dawes, who bagged a gold medal with the American squad on the team event at the 1996 Atlanta Games drew similarities with Chiles' Prince-inspired floor routine that she performed during the previous UCLA faceoffs to her performance. The former American gymnast made an appearance in Prince's music video "Betcha By Golly Wow."

Dawes conveyed her excitement in watching Chiles compete while praising the Paris Olympic gold medalist's hard work, passion, dedication, and ability to inspire and empower future gymnasts. She wrote on X:

"I can’t wait to see the inspiring @ChilesJordan shine on the mat this Saturday at the @UofMaryland! I love watching her perform; her hard work, passion, and dedication truly stand out, empowering the next generation of gymnasts. Her floor routine features a medley of Prince hits, which is such a nostalgic throwback! It reminds me of when I performed in a music video for "Betcha By Golly Wow."

"Jordan! We're all cheering for you, even though you're competing against my alma mater!" Dawes added.

Jordan Chiles records her first perfect 10 on uneven bars for UCLA in the 2025 NCAA season

Jordan Chiles of the United States during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France. (Photo via Getty Images)

Jordan Chiles recorded her first perfect 10 on uneven bars for UCLA in the 2025 NCAA season during the clash against Maryland at the 2025 Big Ten Conference for Women's Gymnastics. She achieved the feat at XFINITY Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday, January 18.

She executed an impeccable uneven bars routine to mark UCLA's first perfect score at the Big Ten Conference, helping the UCLA Bruins to earn their first-ever victory at the Big Ten Conference.

Watch Chiles perform a flawless uneven bars routine here:

Chiles also competed in the rest three apparatus, bagging 9.775 points on the balance beam and vault each and 9.950 points on the floor event. The Bruins dominated the clash by collecting a substantial lead of 197.550 points over Maryland's 194.850 points.

The two-time Olympian's performance on Saturday also marked the first perfect score in the ongoing Big Ten Conference 2025.