Call it “The Chiles.”
Sixteen-year-old Jordan Chiles saved her balance beam routine, and her second-place all-around spot, at the P&G Championships on Sunday night with a move that could make your head spin.
Chiles was attempting what is called a wolf turn — a gymnast crouches and rotates on the four-inch surface with one foot staying on the beam.
But Chiles came unbalanced before completing her first of two 360-degree turns. She rose up to steady herself but continued spinning, doing so four times in total before coming to a stop while fully upright.
After she dismounted, Chiles scurried off and told other gymnasts and coaches, “I do not know what just happened. … Is that considered still a turn?”
Judges rewarded Chiles with the joint-fourth-highest score of the night — a 14.2 — out of 19 women.
“I was kind of crooked at the beginning, and so, normally, I just stand up, but then I didn’t want to fall, so I just tucked in my knee,” Chiles said. “After a while, I didn’t realize I was still turning until people were like, ‘Whoa,’ and I was like, oh wait, I’m still turning. I think I should open.
“I sometimes do that at home, so I kind of knew what to do.”
Chiles, who competed with a fever earlier in the week, is hoping for a spot on the four-woman team for October’s world championships in Montreal. That squad will be named following a selection camp next month.
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