Are you a Jordan Chiles admirer? Well, if you are, now is the time to show your love and support for her. Our beloved Jordan Chiles has secured a nomination for the 90th edition of the “Sports Star of the Year” in the women’s sports category, presented by the Seattle Sports Commission. The other nominees alongside Jordan are Katie Holloway Bridge, Sarah Lessig, Nneka Ogwumike, and Hana Moll. Well, we have our fingers crossed for Jordan!

For those rooting for Chiles just like us, you can vote for her every day from January 15th through January 29th. However, there is much more going on for Jordan besides the Sports Star of the Year honor she could win. Jordan’s NCAA season too has been nothing short of glorious. She pioneered her team, the UCLA Bruins, to a spectacular victory on January 11th in the final session of the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad held in Oklahoma City. Is anyone surprised though? Certainly not us!

Given the devastating L.A. fires, the win in Oklahoma City held sentimental value for the UCLA Bruins. Jordan Chiles expressed a few words of gratitude for Los Angeles after her win, “To every single person in LA, we love you guys. Thank you guys so much for supporting us. We want to support you in every way, shape or form. We are praying, we love you guys.” This sentimental message left us teary-eyed for sure.

Jordan’s enviable positive disposition has us all taking notes from her. Amid rigorous training sessions and a busy NCAA season, we wonder how she manages everything so effortlessly. Moreover, she does it all while performing exceptionally well in her sport. However, Jordan has had her share of struggles. The road to Olympic glory has seldom been smooth, but she has proved her mettle as a gymnast time and again.

However, this back-to-back hustle is surely chips away at her psyche sometimes.

Mental health battles and healing: The Jordan Chiles way

On her August 2024 appearance at Taylor and Tay Lautner’s mental health and well-being podcast, The Squeeze, the 23-year-old, got candid about her journey to the Olympics and dealing with everything in between. When asked if Jordan ever knew she wanted to go to the Olympics, this Oregon gymnast had a hilarious response. As a kid, Jordan had expressed her desire to compete in the Olympics with her mother, but her reasoning is not what you would expect, “I wanna go because they are winning cool things”. However, as a 14-15-year-old, Jordan was all about going to the Olympics for the sake of her sport. Since then, her focus has been steady, “Mindset has always been Olympics Olympics Olympics”. Talk about determination!

However, this champion gymnast had to tread a rocky path to reach the pinnacle. On the podcast, Jordan opened up about her struggles with body shaming. She was body-shamed very early on in life, at 11 or 12 years of age. She had no support, and it wreaked havoc with her self-esteem. “There were just times where my self-esteem got to a point where, umm, I didn’t want to be on the earth anymore.” However, being the fighter Jordan Chiles is, she took active charge of her healing process.

Her faith in God has been crucial in her path to healing, “God really, praying every day, having the right support around me“. Jordan Chiles emphasizes the importance of supportive parents and friends when someone is struggling. She also took a moment to acknowledge the role of her teachers, “Parents, friends, that you know, understood where I was coming from and even my teachers”. Many in the same healing process will surely feel inspired by Jordan’s journey.

The 23-year-old gymnast also had a few words of wisdom to share, “Everybody is put on this earth for a reason, and if you know your reasons are the right ones, then just keep pushing towards that because that’s what I did.” If a gymnast of Chiles’ stature shares her mantra, we better take it seriously. We are excited to see what else Jordan Chiles has in store for us in the future. After all, she is just getting started!