“It was my best friend Simone who gave me hope and a new path to my dream when I was about to give it up,” Jordan Chiles once stated about Simone Biles. And that right there was the start of a never-ending friendship between the two. The Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year might be a 7x Olympic gold medalist and the gymnastics GOAT. However, behind all the glitz and glamor, Biles has a human element that often overpowers her star status. And who better than her BFF Jordan Chiles knows it better? After all, the GOAT helped her come out of a dark phase not once but twice! 

Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles’ sisterhood dates back to 2018. Coming into the elite realm, Chiles was constantly heckled by racism and even body shaming. While racial slurs were hurled at her regularly, she was also criticized for being ‘too muscular’ by her haters. And as if this was not enough torment, the last nail of the coffin came in 2018.

Despite being a member of the US team since 2013, a shocked Chiles found out that she was left out of the senior and the world team. Feeling completely defeated, the 23-year-old lost her zeal and wanted to quit gymnastics. However, in came Simone Biles like a guardian angel. She guided her thoroughly and instilled the lost zeal back in Chiles to transform her into the champion that she is now. Reflecting on Biles’ contributions in her life, the 2025 SI Swimsuit Rookie reflected on Biles’ greatness.

In an Instagram video dated January 7, 2025, uploaded by SI Swimsuit, Chiles stated, “Like there’s already a lot of things that were really hard on me and at this camp Simone was my roommate and she had told me she was just like, what’s going on? Cause she knew something was up… And she had looked at me and was just like, you honestly have the ability to do anything you want. She was like, you’re strong. You, you know, she just gave me a lot of encouraging words during that timeframe. And I was like, huh, maybe she is right.” Chiles reflected on how she felt defeated after her world selection camp. She felt that she could not continue elite gymnastics anymore.

Chiles continued to share how Biles constantly upped her ante during the timeframe. And such continued words of encouragement made the 23-year-old start to believe in herself once again. She felt that Biles must have seen something in her that she was unable to fathom. Surely, Biles was right. Making a complete turnaround from being her dejected self, Chiles went on to win the team gold at the 2022 Worlds and also replicated her heroics at the 2023 Pan American Games. Biles also invited her to train at the World Champions Center in Spring, Texas. Here, Chiles was made to realize that gymnastics was not all about being harsh on oneself and strictness.

Taking her good work forward, Chiles soon got herself into the Olympics, where she initially won the silver medal in Tokyo. Competing for her second Olympic stint, Chiles also clinched an Olympic gold medal that sealed her name as one of the finest gymnasts in US history. Unfortunately, Chiles’ Paris tryst was also ridden with thorns of controversy. And guess who stepped in once again to save the 23-year-old’s mental health? Well, Simone Biles, of course! 

Simone Biles voiced support for Jordan Chiles after her bronze medal fiasco 

Jordan Chiles had a near-perfect run at the Paris Olympics. The UCLA Bruins star put up a phenomenal showing, helping her team clinch the gold medal. Next up, Chiles was up at the women’s floor finals, where she impressed the audience with a flawless display. And it was right after this performance that things went haywire. Initially, the third place was awarded to Romania’s Ana Barbosu. However, cutting her happiness short was Cecile Landi, who submitted an inquiry that was granted by the judges. 

Now, the drama did not end here. With Jordan Chiles coming home with her bronze medal, the Romanian team went to the CAS. Shockingly, they stated that Landi was late in submitting the inquiry, which meant Chiles’ achievement stood void. Asking her to return her medal, the news came as a shocker for Chiles. She immediately succumbed to depression and locked herself out from social media and also struggled to put herself together. Thankfully, Biles once again came in as her secret Santa. 

Sharing the advice she gave Chiles, the gymnastics GOAT stated, “We’ve been FaceTiming, texting, just being girls… I did talk to her on one of the days, and I was like,“You know what, Jordan, you have to feel all these feels. Don’t let these emotions stop you. This will be the healthiest way to get all of this out.” Biles also supported her BFF strongly and voiced support for her, saying, “We want that justice for Jordan and why we’re going to keep supporting her and uplifting her.” Thus, despite the trolls coming back periodically to haunt Jordan Chiles, she is extremely lucky to have found Simone Biles, who always has her back.