UCLA gymnast Chae Campbell was inspired by the movie Black Panther for her latest performance. The 22-year-old participated in the annual “Meet the Bruins” event ahead of the 2024 season, which opens Jan. 12.
Campbell executed her routine with music from the movie. She concluded her performance by doing the “Wakanda Forever” salute. The gymnast wore a leotard inspired by Black Panther for the occasion. It resembles the film’s titular character’s superhero suit, which includes black and white cutouts.
The leotard was designed by Sylvia P Teamwear, a company that specializes in high-performance gymnastics teamwear.
“It captures everything that Black Panther represents: Power and elegance!” she wrote on social media.
Grateful for every moment. Wakanda Forever🖤 https://t.co/qFtNRmSbiS
— Chae_Jada (@chae_jada) December 16, 2023
The Texas-native is a four-time All-American gymnast for the UCLA Bruins. She was the 2021 Pac-12 floor exercise co-champion and recorded two perfect 10s on floor exercise in 2022. Campbell was recently named to the Pac-12 women’s gymnastics 2024 Preseason Watch List, according to USA Today.
View this post on Instagram
Now a senior at UCLA, she has made her dream come true by joining the Bruins.
“I started watching UCLA when I was 8 years old. I was really inspired by the 2010 national championship team,” Campbell told Spectrum Local News in an interview last April. “UCLA was the only school I was dead set on. When I got that offer to be a part of this team, it was a dream come true. Now that I’m living this life, it’s even more amazing.”
She takes pride in seeing other Black gymnasts succeeding in the sports and hopes it inspires the future generations.
“As a Black gymnast, I didn’t see a lot of people like me,” she said. “I think now I’m in a sport where a lot of black gymnasts are excelling. I’m just really proud to be a part of that. I think the inspirational piece of that is really the most rewarding.”
