“In a true convergence of strength and style, Nike athlete Jordan Chiles and the USA Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team showed their dominance once again and brought home the gold medal in the team final.” The lines didn’t come as surprising from Nike. After all, athletes can expect such positive words from their sponsors, right? But here’s something different in the story. Almost six months after the Paris Olympics, Jordan Chiles and Nike are imparting a fresh vibe. Together, they are writing things differently. How so? 

Things are turning lately in Jordan’s Olympic bronze medal controversy. The recent development in the ongoing case has raised a lot of questions about the fairness of the arbitration process. Well, the questions and counter questions have been there since the first hearing of the matter. But what’s the fresh angle now? In the ongoing battle, Chiles now has her sponsor Nike with her in some ways. Let’s follow the details. 

Jordan Chiles marks something new in the ongoing controversy 

On February 9, Jordan Chiles uploaded a few snapshots on her Instagram post, tagging the Nike and Nike Women’s Instagram handles. The snapshots framed the gymnast wearing a black leotard marked with Nike’s iconic logo. Meanwhile, in one snap, Nike’s new tagline showed up: “You Can’t win. So win.” Notably, the tagline first came in Nike’s promotional video, shared at the Super Bowl 2025. However, the most gripping part of Jordan’s social media share was present in the post’s caption. It read, “They’ll judge your every move. So make them question their judgment.” You might not need to go into deep thinking to extract the meaning of the caption. It is about the judgment of the Court of Arbitration for Sport handed out last year. 

In fact, the judgment given in September last year revoked Chiles’ third place in the women’s floor exercise final at the Paris Olympics. While ruling against Chiles and Team USA’s demand, CAS claimed that their appeal came late, away from the time slot. But the American side remained firm on their demand and statement. They have thoroughly debunked the theory of being late and claimed to have evidence to prove their truthfulness. CAS didn’t pay any heed to those arguments. In reply, Team USA moved to the Swiss court, questioning the basis of the judgment. So, can you connect the dots now between the actual occurrences and the wordplay in Jordan’s caption? The legal battle, however, is now gaining more episodes. 

Chiles’ legal representatives argue that the tribunal in CAS demonstrated partiality. This is attributed to the role of Hamid G. Gharavi, the arbitrator, pivotal to the ruling. Chiles’ defense contends that Gharavi’s connections to Romania raised significant questions regarding his neutrality. But these bits explain the legal part. What about Jordan Chiles’ mental battle? Remember, after CAS’s ruling in September last year, she took an off from social media presence, having a mental breakdown because of the online backlash? How’s she doing on that front? After all, the win mentioned in Nike’s tagline is about holistic victory. So any update on that? 

The way of fulfilling Nike’s tagline entirely 

Jordan Chiles is now among the top performers in the ongoing college gymnastics season. Her gymnastics program is winning hearts in match after match and Jordan is playing a prominent role in the entire job. Right now, she is the only gymnast to score two perfect tens in college gymnastics this season. Also, she scored one or those perfect tens just coming off a high fever situation. How is she pulling off all those acts? Any miracle? No, it is because of the Gold Over America Tour. 

Yes. According to Jordan Chiles, she has been feeling positivity in her mind lately. In her interaction with International Gymnastics Online Magazine, the 23-year-old said, “The tour [GOAT] kind of helped me change my mindset. I was doing school, some online classes, and other stuff, trying to get my mind and my body in the flow of everything.” Also, her gymnastics program at UCLA stood beside her in the ongoing fight to regain positivity. On it, she said, “I knew I had the team and the support behind me, helping me these past few months get my mindset back into, ‘OK, we compete every weekend, we have classes, and all of this stuff.’ It’s been a whirlwind, but I wouldn’t change it.” Now, see the changes. Jordan is steady and hopeful. Nike’s inclusion in the story might work as the icing on the cake.