Jordan Chiles might be a champion now. But during the time she was toiling hard to make her name, the gymnast had some forgettable experiences. One of them was when history unfolded beneath the Olympic lights in Paris last August. On that podium, with skin once judged more than skill, she stood in defiance on the first all-Black podium in Olympic gymnastics history. Competing on the floor, Chiles had the honor to share the stage with  Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade. 

While Andrade took the gold, Biles and Chiles settled with silver and bronze, respectively. Looking back at the experience, Chiles now knows that she was part of history. For it was the very first instance of an all-Black podium in the Olympic Games. Recalling the sweet memories, she recently opened her heart out in an interview with ESPNW. On being asked about how she was feeling during the moment, the Olympic gold medalist stated that she was overwhelmed. 

“There was a lot going through my mind. There was, wow, this is history. Yeah. There was, wow, did I really just get a medal? Then there was like, wow, like l’m actually standing up here with two icons,” said Jordan Chiles. The 24-year-old then went on to explain that all of it felt right. And just then, one thing struck her. She was not dreaming. All of it was real, and she was living the historic moment! Suddenly, all of her hard work started to feel worth it. Chiles stated that from the moment she started to prepare for the competition, things got blurred. 

“And I just knew that this moment was going to be forever,” said Chiles. Well, the 24-year-old was not just satisfied being part of history. She wanted to make it all the more special. It was Chiles who proposed the idea of bowing down to Rebeca Andrade along with Simone Biles. And while Biles obliged, together, the trio gave the sports world perhaps the biggest sportsman spirit moment in recent times. Unfortunately, all this glitz and glamor did not accompany Biles from her childhood. On the contrary, her experience with racism was quite grim.

Jordan Chiles exposes the quiet bias she faced as a Black gymnast

“Why am I not getting the same scores?” Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles asked herself — not in frustration over a missed landing, but over something deeper and more disturbing. Aside from the glorious podium moment, Jordan Chiles had made history with a revised score of 13.766, completing the first-ever all-Black podium in Olympic gymnastics. But days later, after a successful appeal by her coach, Cecile Landi, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the decision, stripping her of the bronze. The fallout was brutal—Chiles was hit with a wave of racist abuse online, including offensive comments and AI-generated images. “I was devastated,” she later said, on the emotional toll of the reversal.

In her new memoir, I’m That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams, Chiles further opened up about the painful realization that her skin color shaped how she was judged in gymnastics. The read might as well have multiple volumes, given the sad nature of this reality.

She remembers the first time the disparity hit her. “I’m literally doing almost the exact same thing as any other person, but why am I not getting the same scores?” The difference was unmistakable. Even as a 7-year-old competing at level 4, Chiles recognized that her presence on the mat. As a Black girl with visible strength and power, she was met with hesitation. “Judges didn’t know what to do with [me],” she shared, recalling the comments she received. Jordan added, “She’s talented, yes, but she’s curvy,” or even worse, “you don’t deserve to be in the sport.”

As she rose through the elite ranks, the bias didn’t fade — it only became more evident. While her white peers were celebrated for their performances, Jordan was often met with ridicule or disbelief. The criticism extended beyond the arena, too. On social media, she was bombarded with cruel comments, making her question, “Why are these people telling me all these things when I’m literally doing the exact same thing as everybody else?”

Chiles’ journey is a powerful reminder of the unseen barriers athletes of color still face. Through her story, she reclaims her voice — and her place — in a sport that wasn’t built to include her.