Fresh off her gold medal win, Jordan Chiles wowed audiences with her stunning floor routine at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Despite qualifying for the finals, she has been sidelined for the all-around competition, and there’s a reason behind it.
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games have been a showcase of extraordinary talent and perseverance. Among the standout athletes is Jordan Chiles, a significant figure in the world of gymnastics.
Jordan, a two-time Olympian, has earned both gold and silver medals. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she won silver with the U.S. team. In Paris 2024, she secured a gold medal in the women’s team event but placed 25th in the individual all-around.
Jordan’s Olympic journey includes her recent gold win in Paris 2024 and her various placements at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, including a silver medal in the team event. Her experience extends to the 2022 World Championships, where she won gold in the team event and two silver medals in floor exercise and vault.
Jordan is the daughter of Timothy and Gina Chiles and has four siblings. Her nickname is “Chick,” and she was named after Michael Jordan. Remarkably, she reached the elite level in gymnastics at just eleven years old.
Jordan’s gymnastics journey began at age six. Her parents enrolled her in gymnastics classes to channel her high energy. Despite initially wishing for a puppy instead, she quickly fell in love with the sport.
Her family’s sacrifices have been a significant part of her journey. “My family had to sacrifice a lot of things, especially my siblings, taking me to the gym and doing all these things for me,” she said. By eleven, she was competing at the elite level, winning the all-around at the 2014 U.S. Classic.
In 2017, Jordan faced emotional and physical tolls that led her to temporarily leave gymnastics. She asked her mother to remove her medals and trophies, feeling disconnected from her achievements.
“I don’t want them in my room anymore,” she said to her mom, who was taken by surprise. However, Gina understood her daughter and did not push her.
Despite winning a silver medal at the national championships, she didn’t make the U.S. team for the world championships. “I didn’t think the sport wanted me anymore,” she admitted in a video interview. “
So I went in the opposite direction.”
Jordan’s discontent was partly due to her former coach’s overbearing methods, leading her to leave that coach and briefly work with another. By 2018, she had “checked out from the sport,” as her mother put it. The athlete had lost confidence in herself.
Gina later learned that her daughter had been mistreated in the gymnastics field. A coach cut Jordan’s braids to make her neck appear longer, and she was told she had a bad attitude just because she voiced her concerns.
The mother of five had been unaware of how severe the situation had been for Jordan, and she apologized to her profusely. “I told her: ‘I’m so sorry. I missed it. I messed up. It’s my job to protect you, and I made a big mistake,’” the concerned parent revealed in an interview.
At the nationals in 2018, Jordan finished 11th in the all-around and considered this a major hint. She recalled thinking that was the end of her career because nothing was working in her favor. “I just wanted to finish high school and go off to college. But then I had a talk with Simone,” she divulged.
Simone Biles played a crucial role in Jordan’s comeback. By the end of 2018, Jordan moved to Texas to train with Simone at the World Champions Centre.
Not only did Simone take on the role of being a big sister to her fellow gymnast, but she also reminded her of her worth. “You belong here,” the decorated Olympian told Jordan.
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Jordan stepped in for Simone Biles when the elite gymnast bowed out of the competition due to mental health reasons. Jordan, who won the all-around at the Winter Cup and consistently performed well throughout the year, helped Team USA win a silver medal.
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the Tokyo Olympics to 2021. During this period, Jordan’s mother, Gina, faced legal issues and was sentenced to prison. Despite these challenges, Jordan continued to excel, supported by her close-knit team.
In 2023, the death of Jordan’s aunt and grandfather tested her resilience further. Their passing deeply affected her, but she continued to honor their memory through her gymnastics.
She described her healing process saying, “Some days I feel great, and then on days like making my second Olympics, I was so happy and then I was sad that they weren’t there to witness it. They were both my biggest supporters and they are my why.”
Apart from losing her loved ones, Jordan has also faced body-shaming throughout her career. She revealed that she was often told to watch her food intake and criticized for her muscular build.
Jordan now works to maintain a healthy relationship with food and her body, seeking help from the Women’s National Team sports psychologist.
Jordan emphasizes the importance of health and wellness in gymnastics. She proudly embraces her muscular build and distinctive style, including her long nails and unique hair. Her pre-competition beauty routine is part of her self-care, ensuring she feels confident and prepared.
She had the chance to show off her confident look at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games recently. Jordan impressed audiences with her stunning floor routine, qualifying for the finals. However, her performances at the games have not been without some flaws.
The athlete faced a challenge during the balance beam event when she fell off while attempting a somersault onto the apparatus, incurring a 1-point deduction.
Nevertheless, she managed to regain her composure, and Suni Lee’s impressive routine kept Team USA in the lead. Simone also contributed significantly to the team’s performance, ending the third rotation with a comfortable lead over Italy.
Team USA gymnastics struck gold once more. Simone, Suni, Jordan, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera seized their first opportunity at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
They won a gold medal, leading the competition from start to finish to secure the gold. Competing on four apparatuses—vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor—the team maintained their top position throughout each rotation.
Jordan impressed spectators and those watching from home with her spectacular floor routine at the competition. She was overwhelmed with emotions following her performance and so was her family who watched on from the stands.
While the newly-minted gymnast’s mother had her hand covering her mouth in disbelief, her father had both his arms up in the air, celebrating the special moment.
In addition to her loved ones’ reaction, social media users also reacted to her splendid performance on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Instant tears four years of training leading to this magical moment!” commented one person.
Another simply wrote, “Tears,” while someone else candidly expressed, “TOP TOP MOMENT of Olympics. I cried.” “Incredible!” one other user exclaimed. Another added, “I literally teared, beautiful.”
Jordan achieved the fourth-best score during the women’s gymnastics qualifying at the Olympics, yet she will not participate in the all-around competition.
In the all-around qualifying, Simone secured the top spot with a remarkable score of 59.566 points. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade took second place with 57.700 points, and Suni finished third with 56.132 points.
Jordan placed fourth with an all-around score of 56.065. Although the top 24 competitors qualify for the all-around final, only two gymnasts from each country are allowed to compete.
Simone Biles and Suni Lee, as the top-two U.S. finishers, are set to compete in the all-around event, leaving Jordan as a reserve. After learning that Jordan would not be competing at the all-around finals, online users empathized with her. “That’s sad. She’s good and [I] love to watch her!” said one Facebook user.
Meanwhile, others praised Jordan Chiles for her admirable work ethic with one individual writing, “She was freaking awesome, need rule change mot are fault. We are so good USA.”
Someone else proudly expressed, “Still proud of her & the others on Team USA for doing great things yesterday & getting the gold medals.”
