If there ever was a gold medal for friendship, we know who’d win it. Hands down, Simone and Jordan. The minute you see them take on the mats, you’ll know: they’re cut from the same cloth. But that bond runs deeper than you think. Deeper than their shared love for gymnastics. Or even that identical ring in their last names. We’re talking sisterhood. Trust. Warmth. And just that feeling of being ‘home’ with each other. But how did two girls from completely different worlds— Houston and Vancouver- end up so inseparable? PS: You’re not going to believe the ‘how’ part.

With a 4-year age gap, Simone Biles and Jordan weren’t even competing at the same level. Until one day, their paths crossed at a gymnastics training camp. Did they get overwhelmed by each other’s strong auras? Or was there an instant connection? Well, it’s taken us years to know what exactly happened. So brace for a nostalgic trip because the G.O.A.T herself has voiced a confession.

Jordan Chiles’ memoir, “I’m That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams” is finally out. And with it are the narratives unbeknownst to the gymnastics fans. Like the one we’re about to tell you. In the book’s Foreword, Simone Biles, the 11x Olympic medalist, narrates what trait of Chiles instantly put her on notice in a room. After their first meet in a training camp, the two gymnasts kept bumping into each other during competitions. And what Biles instantly noted was, “She [Jordan] was goofy, a little bit silly, loud, and outspoken- she reminded me of myself at her age.

Thanks to her funny bone, Jordan Chiles instantly became a favorite, as Simone and the older gymnasts were instantly like, “Okay, we really like her!” And that’s how, Chiles became the entertainer everyone was pulling in their rooms so they could talk. In fact, Simone Biles confessed, “She made us laugh- she always had Aly Raisman and me dying.” Always the one to get the fun started, Chiles was always the center of attention. Clearly, even among the site seniors like Aly Raisman who was part of the USA’s Rio squad with Simone.

But that’s just one part. When it comes to Biles and Chiles, in the gym or on camera, they’d clicked over completely different reasons. Simone Biles further mentioned how both of them started gymnastics late. At 6. So they initially bonded off of that. Next, their strengths and weaknesses aligned too. Not many could match them in tumbling and the vault. But both were equally iffy on the beam. Still, Biles confessed that Jordan’s beam skills were better than hers. And that over time, they became JO-MO, the nicknames they call each other in the gym!

Well, everything about this seems so true. We’ve had moments when the two have supported each other relentlessly as gymnasts. Right from embracing an emotional Jordan when she won the floor bronze in Paris to asking her to ‘chin up’ when her medal got snatched, Simone Biles has been her rock. And that’s not just now. In 2018, when Chiles failed to make the World team due to her 11th finish, she was pretty much done for. But then, she talked with Simone. And decided to stay.

The same is true for Biles. After her biggest success in Paris, she ‘bawled’ to her best friend, Chiles, when the emotions began to sink in. After all, she was one of the biggest pillars of support who grounded her when she faced the ‘twisties’ in Tokyo. These moments have now created a bond for life. On and even off camera!

Simone Biles and Chiles love their quality best-friend time

We know how the two of them are in the gym. And when it comes to professional domain. But at home, Simone Biles and Jordan are just two girls who want to have fun. In Jordan Chiles’ book, “I’m That Girl”, Simone confessed, “If we’re chilling out together after practices, I’ll cook dinner at my house and we’ll watch movies.” They might go different ways in movie choices (Jordan’s a Disney/Marvel girl, while Simone loves a class love story), but they find a middle ground.

That’s not it. “We get our lashes done, fix our hair together…” wrote Simone Biles narrating that they are just like every other girl with their best friend. While the 7x Olympic gold medalist does tolerate Chiles’ demands to get Tik Tok made with her, at the end of the day, she agrees that Jordan is a jack of all trades. After all, remember when Biles had revealed, “She’s [Jordan] the hair breaider on the team.”

It’s through the big moments of uncertainty and the smaller pockets of joy that this friendship has survived. What do you think about Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles’ equation?