Athletes lifting each other—a rarity in today’s world? Well, not when either of them is Jordan Chiles. The hearty gymnast has been all about empowerment and sharing the experiences of her “psychologically and physically demanding sport.” And she’s not just keeping it within the gymnastics world. After all, inspiration isn’t just limited to one’s own sport. But what message could she have possibly sent for Olympic Champion Tara Davis-Woodhall? Is a new friendship brewing or a rivalry taking shape? You’ll have to read on to find out!

Well, what a twist! What’s interesting about this brand new dynamic is that the Paris Olympics long jump gold medalist, Tara Davis-Woodhall, has never been documented to share an equation with Jordan Chiles. But we guess that’s changing now. After all, the two seem to have a lot in common. Both of them are Olympic Champions from Paris, so yes, they’ve been under that spotlight. Also, both have charted some really turbulent paths to reach where they currently are. So, is this commonality what Chiles’ message is about? Hint: Yes!

On March 3, Tara Davis-Woodhall took to her Instagram stories and shared a snap flaunting her special gift from Jordan Chiles. It showed a brand new copy of Jordan Chiles’ memoir: “I’m That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams” along with a printed note and a handwritten message straight from the ‘IT’ girl of gymnastics. The printed message read, “All my life, my dad has told me that everything I go through in life is just another chapter in my book. Now, I finally get to share those chapters with you! I am so excited for you to read it and I hope it inspires you too!”

But the real deal was the note that Jordan Chiles had penned below it for Tara Davis-Woodhall herself! The gymnast kept it short but impactful. Filling the empty space below the print, Chiles chalked down 8 crucial words in black ink, that read, “Always believe in the power of your dreams!” And with that, she also added a simple, “Love- J. Chiles 20[Olympic rings] 24.” And Tara? She seemed all heart for this message as the 25-year-old drew a huge pink heart right in the center as she posted the story, tagging Chiles.

Well, we believe Tara Davis-Woodhall will not just have much to take back from Chiles’ narrative but also much to relate with as she reads. As international athletes and, well, Olympic Champions, they’ve been through the ebbs and flows that are characteristic of their sports. Plus, Chiles has spoken about aspects like her mental health journey, her challenges encountering racial disparity as a black athlete, and moments she nearly thought it was over for her in gymnastics. Tara will possibly understand the intensity behind many of these aspects, having faced a similar dilemma in 2020 when her mental health hit an all-time low, and she contemplated leaving the sport.

Also, as Jordan Chiles narrates her Paris Olympic experience, the win, the loss—everything, Tara again has huge room for relatability. In 2021, Tokyo, she’d failed to make a mark, ending sixth in the long jump finals, which made Paris her redemption tour. The feeling was partially mutual for Chiles, who played a key role in Tokyo but had never faced individual Olympic glory before Paris. Alas, even that was snatched from her later.

So yes, there’s a lot that Tara Davis-Woodhall may actually find inspirational. But the fact that Jordan sent her the memoir herself with a written message is simply thoughtful. However, this is not the first time their names have come up together. Chiles and Tara had received similar honors right after Paris!

Jordan Chiles and Tara Davis-Woodhall have more in common, after all!

Let’s rewind to 2024 for a minute. A few months after Tara Davis-Woodhall made waves with her 7.1m leap in Paris, Kansas City’s Griffin Davis, a director of photography, shared a video of the track athlete with Flavor Flav. It was nothing but a cinematic capture of the wholesome moment when Flav gifted his signature clock necklace to her.

Interestingly, even Jordan Chiles had received the same honor from Flavor Flav once. Right after Chiles’ bronze medal controversy, Flavor Flav tried to uplift the UCLA gymnast’s spirits by telling her, “Ayyy YOOOO @ChilesJordan, imma make you a BRONZE CLOCK NECKLACE, and that’s something NO ONE else has! Hit me up my girl, I gotcha!”

And he is not one for false promises. Flav lived up to his word. At the MTV Video Music Awards 2024, he brought that custom clock and gifted it to Jordan Chiles right on the stage! So yes, in a way, both Tara and Chiles have been part of the same honor that Flav did for the U.S. women athletes.

And now, Chiles is extending her inspirational thoughts to her. What do you think? Is a new friendship around the corner? Let us know below!