When Dominique Dawes competed in the 1992 Olympic Trials for the Barcelona Games, she made history as the first black gymnast to qualify. Fast forward to the Paris Olympics, and athletes nearly achieved another historic moment. Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade, and Jordan Chiles became the first all-Black women’s gymnastics podium. But then later, one athlete’s Olympic bronze medal was stripped. A moment many remember very well. Of course, we’re talking about our swag girl, Jordan Chiles. But that didn’t hold her back. Instead of letting the medal controversy define her, Jordan decided to return to the NCAA.

As a UCLA student, Jordan made her school proud in NCAA meets. However, she was stripped of her Olympic bronze medal, which led to a public outcry. At that time, Dawes stood in support, saying, “It was an emotional rollercoaster. She did everything she should have done and earned that bronze medal. The mistake was made by the judge.” The controversy still lingers, but now, as Jordan shines in the NCAA season, Dawes continues to express her admiration for Jordan’s performances.

Jordan Chiles gets a special message from Dominique Dawes

Jordan Chiles has been shining lately, both on and off the gymnastics mat. She’s been announced as a rookie model for the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which is huge! But back to her gymnastics career, in her first Big Ten meet, she scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars, tying for No. 6 on UCLA’s all-time list with nine perfect 10s. She didn’t stop there; her floor routine was nearly flawless with a 9.950, helping UCLA build a strong lead over Maryland. In her first all-around competition of the year, she took home the win with a score of 39.500, leading UCLA to a solid victory (197.550-194.850). But..

Looking ahead, UCLA’s next meet is on January 25th at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood, LA, where they’ll face Illinois. But before that, Jordan got some love from gymnastics legend Dominique Dawes. After watching Jordan’s perfect 10 routine in her last NCAA meet, Dominique shared an encouraging post on X.

She wrote, “I can’t wait to see the inspiring @ChilesJordan shine on the mat this Saturday at the @UofMaryland!I love watching her perform; her hard work, passion, and dedication truly stand out, empowering the next generation of gymnasts. Her floor routine features a medley of Prince hits, which is such a nostalgic throwback! It reminds me of when I performed in a music video for “Betcha By Golly Wow.”

Dominique continues, “It was a surreal experience to receive a phone call from Prince. And soon after, I was at Paisley Park shooting the video! Good luck this weekend, Jordan! We’re all cheering for you, even though you’re competing against my alma mater.” With it, she also shared her beautiful video of her floor routine.

Despite her continued success on the mat, it’s impossible to forget the controversy surrounding Jordan’s stripped bronze medal from the Paris Olympics. That moment was tough, but it now looks like there’s a chance she could get that medal back after the recent update.

Legal battle gains momentum

Back in August, judges initially gave Jordan Chiles a score of 13.666 for her floor routine at the Paris Olympics. But her coaches felt it didn’t fully reflect her performance. They filed an inquiry, and the judges bumped her score up to 13.733. This placed her in third, ahead of Romania’s Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Voinea.

However, after the Romanian team filed their appeals, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Chiles had submitted her inquiry four seconds too late. As a result, Barbosu ended up getting the bronze medal in a separate ceremony, while Chiles kept the medal she originally received at the victory ceremony in Paris.

But Jordan and Team USA weren’t ready to accept the ruling just yet. They believed they followed all the rules and had evidence to prove it. So, in September last year, the case went to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, which is the only body that can overturn a CAS ruling. But things are turning now in her favor.

Recently, Chiles’ legal team filed two more briefs, hoping for another shot at getting the decision changed. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation (RGF) has supported Chiles’ achievement, but they’re also asking for a fair solution to Barbosu’s score, which was 13.700. Meanwhile, Chiles maintains that her corrected score of 13.766 should’ve earned her the bronze.

Since the ruling, Chiles has been dealing with a lot of online backlash, which led her to step away from social media. But instead of letting it hold her back, she’s been focusing on her gymnastics career. She’s been crushing it at UCLA and proving that she’s not letting anything stop her. It’s clear that Jordan’s got more to offer, and this setback is only pushing her to do even more in the sport.