Chiles, 23, helped the U.S. win a team silver in Tokyo but failed to qualify for any individual finals, something she says pushed her to aim for Paris. She has battled injury and personal loss over…
Jordan Chiles competes on the uneven bars at the U.S. Olympic Trials last month in Minneapolis. Chiles, 23, helped the U.S. win a team silver in Tokyo but failed to qualify for any individual finals, something she says pushed her to aim for Paris. She has battled injury and personal loss over the last 18 months and is determined to enjoy her second Olympic trip. SPRING, Texas — Jordan Chiles still remembers the first time someone handed her a ribbon for something she did at a gymnastics meet.
When Chiles walks into Bercy Arena in Paris on July 28 to begin a second trip to the Olympics very few outside of her inner circle saw coming when 2024 began, her goal won’t be to beat anyone but to vanquish a memory. Chiles didn’t come particularly close to earning a spot in any of the individual finals and remembers the tearful phone call in the aftermath to Gina – half a world away back in Houston after COVID-19 pandemic protocols prevented family and friends from making the trip to Japan.The decision to make a run at the Paris Games was born in that moment. And it had nothing to do with coming home with “just” one medal in her carry-on.
Turns out she missed her college teammates more than she imagined. Her elite skills were slow to return. She was disappointed when she wasn’t selected for the world championship team last fall, a decision she knew was right based on where she was at the time.Gina Chiles describes the journey her daughter has been on lately as “pure grit.” That’s not a proud parent pumping up their child. It’s the reality.
“I am a world champion. I will forever be a world champion. I’m an Olympian. I will forever be an Olympian,” she said. “Those titles will never be stripped away from me.”Some new ones, however, may be added by the end of the Games. A team gold would be nice. So would a spot in an event final. Her best chances might be on vault or floor exercise, though she’ll have to finish ahead of at least two of her teammates during qualifying to have a shot.
More importantly, Chiles is also a role model. The lesson she wants others to take away during this somewhat unexpected Olympic return is: don’t put limits on yourself.
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