UCLA gymnast’s flawless floor routine breaks the Internet

The Seattle native’s joy was “absolutely contagious.”

By Allyson Chiu / The Washington Post

As the first strains of Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” filled the Anaheim Arena on Saturday, Katelyn Ohashi came alive.

Executing a quick body roll with a giant smile plastered across her face, it was clear that the 21-year-old UCLA gymnast was in her element, as she kicked off her high-energy floor routine with a massive tumbling pass that ended in a flawlessly stuck landing. In the course of about one minute and 30 seconds, Ohashi stunned the crowd, coaches, teammates and judges, earning a perfect score for an electrifying performance full of gravity-defying flips, killer dance moves and a healthy dose of sassy confidence that has since gone viral with many heralding it as one of the best floor routines they have ever seen.

But perhaps the most notable feature of Ohashi’s routine was the sheer joy she exuded, which starkly contrasted the revelations she made this August about her decision to step back from her Olympic dreams several years ago after the sport left her “broken.”

“A 10 isn’t enough for this floor routine by katelyn—ohashi,” the UCLA Gymnastics official Twitter account tweeted Sunday, sharing a video of Ohashi’s stellar showing at the Collegiate Challenge, where the UCLA Bruins earned first place. As of early Monday morning, the video of the routine had been viewed more than 13 million times.

For Ohashi, a one-time Olympic hopeful, viral fame is nothing new. At the 2018 Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships, she moonwalked her way to the title of NCAA floor champion with a Michael Jackson-themed routine that now has more than 4 million views on YouTube.

Coming into this year’s season, UCLA Coach Valorie Kondos Field told the Los Angeles Times that the big question was, “How’re we gonna top that?”

The answer came in the form of an impossibly challenging routine set to an instrumental medley of classic R&B and pop hits, including “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, The Jackson 5′s “I Want You Back” and Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel.” Saturday’s flawless performance was only Ohashi’s second time doing the routine since debuting it at a season-opening meet against Nebraska on Jan. 4, the Times reported.

“Her whole floor routine is ridiculously hard,” Kondos Field told the Daily Bruin, UCLA’s student newspaper. “Every single thing about it including the backwards split that she does after her leap pass — it’s insane.”

If Ohashi was at all nervous about her intimidating routine on Saturday, it didn’t show. She was all smiles as she strutted and danced to the music between jaw-dropping tumbling passes, at one point even cheekily sticking out her tongue. On the sidelines, Ohashi’s teammates were equally enthusiastic, erupting into raucous cheers every time she stuck a landing and dancing in unison with her.

On social media, the routine — especially the final split landing, described by one person as “mind-bending” — left viewers gobsmacked.

“I would tear every ligament I didn’t know I even had,” one Twitter user commented.

“This is the most exciting floor routine I’ve ever seen,” a former gymnast tweeted. “So much energy and perfectly executed.”

The UCLA senior even earned praise from Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., the Atlantic’s Jemele Hill and Rolling Stone’s Jamil Smith, who all shared the video of her routine on Twitter.

“This is fantastic,” Harris wrote in a tweet congratulating Ohashi and the Bruins.

“Note to self: Go to a UCLA gymnastics meet,” Hill tweeted.

Smith also pledged to watch the Bruins the next time he was in Los Angeles, describing the routine as “All around brilliance.”

But for many, Ohashi’s performance stood out simply because she appeared to be having fun, a rare sight in an often stressful and grueling sport that demands perfection from its athletes.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone visibly having this much fun while competing,” one person tweeted.

Another person wrote,”Not only was it perfect looking, her joy is absolutely contagious.”

Though it may seem hard to believe based on the video, gymnastics was not always a source of happiness for Ohashi. Born in Seattle, Ohashi spent four years on USA Gymnastics’ junior national team. In 2013, she won the American Cup, beating then-teammate Simone Biles, who would go on to become a four-time Olympic champion. But in her Players’ Tribune video, titled “I Was Broken,” Ohashi details her emotional journey away from that elite gymnastics scene.

“There was a time where I was on top of the world, an Olympic hopeful,” Ohashi narrates. “I was unbeatable, until I wasn’t.”

Ohashi went on to describe the intense pressure she faced competing at the elite level — fans telling her “she wasn’t good enough,” constantly stressing about what she ate and being compared to “a bird that couldn’t fly.” In video clips of her at meets during that time, Ohashi rarely had a smile on her face. When she finally made the decision to retire from elite gymnastics with the hopes of becoming a college athlete, she had been competing with a fractured back and two torn shoulders.

“It took me finding Ms. Val [Kondos Field] and UCLA and having a different goal and path to follow, to finally find joy and love within the sport again,” Ohashi said in the video, adding, “I haven’t been able to feel this type of happiness in a long time.”

She continued: “It’s not the outcome. It’s not me standing on the podium with medals. It’s me being able to walk out with a smile on my face and truly being happy with myself.”

Following Saturday’s perfect score, Ohashi appeared to only have one criticism of her routine: “now i just gotta learn how to clap on the beat.”

Ohashi competed in the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships at Comcast Arena in 2012.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Silvertips forward Shea Busch participates in the Florida Panthers development camp at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 1, 2025. Florida selected Busch in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on June 28. (Photo courtesy Shea Busch)
Shea Busch experiences whirlwind NHL Draft week

The Florida Panthers selected the Silvertips forward in the fourth round on June 28.

Late Mystics surge dooms Storm as stars struggle

Seattle dropped to 13-9 after shooting 36.2% from the field.

Jorge Polanco (7), right, of the Seattle Mariners celebrates his ninth inning home run with J.P. Crawford (3) while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in Detroit. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Mariners sweep Tigers on way to All-Star break

The Detroit Tigers still have the best record in baseball,… Continue reading

Mariners select LSU pitcher with No. 3 pick in MLB draft

College baseball’s best pitcher is coming to the Emerald City. The Seattle… Continue reading

Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates winning championship point against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during the Gentlemen's Singles Final on day 14 of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on Sunday, July 13, 2025, in London. (Julian Finney / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Sinner conquers Alcaraz for his first Wimbledon title

The vision of Jannik Sinner covered in sweat and… Continue reading

Rome Odunze scans the field in a scrimmage at his youth football camp at Archbishop Murphy High School on July 10, 2025. The former University of Washington star is entering his second NFL season with the Chicago Bears. (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
Odunze ‘gives back’ in Everett youth football camp

The former University of Washington star hosts a single-day camp at Archbishop Murphy on Thursday.

The New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, top right, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly ball during the 10th inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in New York. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Yankees walk off Mariners on Judge’s sac fly for series sweep

Seattle blows 5-0 lead after Bryan Woo takes no-hitter into eighth inning.

Raleigh says Munoz tipped pitches during Yankees’ comeback

The Yankees had a bead on Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. That’s… Continue reading

Midfielder Christian Soto dribbles up field during Snohomish United's 5-1 win against the Tacoma Stars at Stockers Fields on July 9, 2025 (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
Snohomish United keeps playoff hopes alive in home finale

With 5-1 win against Tacoma, the USL2 club’s focus on local talent keys success in inaugural season.

Silvertips forward Carter Bear fields questions after the Detroit Red Wings selected him 13th overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles on June 27, 2025. (Photo courtesy Natalie Shaver / CHL)
Two weeks after Draft, Silvertips’ Bear still can’t believe it

The Red Wings’ first-rounder reflects on draft night and his experience at Detroit’s development camp.

AquaSox down Devils for consecutive wins

The AquaSox were on a 2-10 stretch coming into the series.

Cam Schlittler’s strong debut freezes Mariners

The Mariners fell to the Yankees, 9-6, on Wednesday night.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.