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Who Is Jordan Chiles? Everything to Know About the Star U.S. Gymnast
Here's everything fans need to know about Jordan Chiles as she takes home the gold alongside Team USA's Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera.
If you weren't familiar with Jordan Chiles before the 2024 Olympics, you definitely are now.
At only 22 years of age, the Team USA gymnast's resume is jaw-dropping, and anyone who doubts her bonafides knows nothing about the sport – Jordan is that darn good.
Though she will not advance to the individual team finals — there is a two per country rule — Jordan proved that she earned her spot on the roster when she helped take home the gold in the team finals. She earned a 13.966 on her floor routine, a 14.366 on the uneven bars, a 14.400 on the vault, and a 12.733 on the balance beam.
As a whole, Team USA's final score was 171.296, leaving them in first place.
Chiles went on to take the bronze medal in the floor routine event on Monday, August 5, though she nearly came in fourth after judges made a mistake in their scores. Chiles appealed the decision, which resulted in her taking a spot on the podium.
Where is Jordan Chiles from?
Jordan was born on April 15, 2001 in Tualatin, Oregon, one of five children to Timothy and Gina Chiles. You could say greatness was in the air from the day she was born, as her mother named her after NBA legend Michael Jordan, according to a report from local news outlet KOIN.com.
Her family soon moved to Vancouver, Washington, where Jordan grew up and developed a love for gymnastics. In fact, it was while playing softball at the age of 6 that her true calling became obvious – when she was supposed to be patrolling the outfield, she was instead doing cartwheels, according to the same KOIN story.
She moved to Spring, Texas in 2019 so she could train at the renowned World Champions Centre, where Simone Biles also hones her craft, and also attends UCLA, where she competes in the NCAA gymnastics circuit.
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How tall is Jordan Chiles?
According to her UCLA Athletics bio page, Jordan is 4'11.''
What are some of Jordan Chiles' gymnastic accomplishments?
Jordan has been a member of the U.S. national team since 2013 – a feat she accomplished when she was only 11 years old. A statistic like that makes any average person want to look long and hard in the mirror and wonder why they weren't more productive as an elementary school student.
With nearly 150 gymnastics competitions under her belt – nationally and internationally – Jordan is a fearsome competitor in every gymnastic event. It doesn't matter if she's competing in the vault, floor exercise, balance beam, or uneven bars – she's collected countless medals across multiple events, ranging from the Pacific Rim Championships to the Pan Am Games.
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When you look at some of Jordan's contemporaries, like Simone Biles and Gabby Douglas, you're undoubtedly impressed by their accomplishments. But when looking at Jordan's achievements, it seems wholly impossible that she's done what she has, especially at such a young age.
However, the all-elusive Olympic gold medal is one illustrious accomplishment that has remained out of Jordan' reach. But it wasn't for lack of trying on her part.
When the then-18-year-old blew away expectations in the U.S. Olympic Trials ahead of the Tokyo Games, medaling in the 2020 Olympics seemed like a foregone conclusion. Jordan shined once again on the biggest stage, helping Team USA earn a much-deserved team silver medal.
Jordan Chiles' Journey to the Olympics
As any competitive athlete will tell you, winning an Olympic silver medal only fuels you to return and capture gold – and Jordan is no exception.
The young gymnast worked hard in recent years and her efforts have paid off as she is one of five women named to the U.S. gymnastics team roster following months of competitions. She competed in the Games alongside teammates Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Hezly Rivera, and Jade Carey.
In an interview with Olympics.com, Jordan confessed she's come a long way from her humble beginnings as an 11-year-old.
"Obviously from my first elite competition, I didn't know anything," Jordan admitted. "But now, going into my 150th competition that I've done, I'm a little more experienced, and I understand what the tactics are for everything. I just feel more confident for sure. I feel grateful that I have the people around me that I have, especially my coaches. They changed the light of game for me within the sport. I feel more confident. I feel loved, I feel supported."
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(Is there anything more powerful than an Olympic athlete who is loved and supported, not only by their own team and coaches, but by an entire country? We think not.)
Earning a spot on Team USA in Tokyo was a difficult task, but Jordan was confident in her abilities from the start.
"I'm thinking of less pressure because I'm like, 'I've done it once. I can do it again,'" she revealed. "I'm really just going out this next cycle just for myself. I'm not going to be disappointed with what happens because I know I've done everything that I've done and I've already done it before. So, I'm just excited."
Originally published Feb 8, 2024.
