Jordan Chiles’ gymnastics career has been a rollercoaster of highs and gut-wrenching lows, and the latest chapter might just be one of the toughest she’s faced. The controversy that saw her stripped of an Olympic medal wasn’t just about losing hardware; it felt deeply personal. “The biggest thing that was taken from me wasn’t the medal,” Jordan said. “It was the recognition of who I was, Not just my sport, but the person I am.” Fast forward to December, though, and Chiles got a whole new vibe. She’s chasing fresh dreams and leaving behind the days when she almost walked away from it all.
Jordan Chiles, everyone’s favorite for her show-stopping floor routines, is already mapping out her next chapter, it’s so much bigger than gymnastics. Singing? Acting? Might be! She’s open to exploring it all. Fresh off her stunning Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut, she is proving she’s got what it takes to thrive wherever she goes. It appears that she is planning to build a career in business rather than gymnastics to expand her avenues. But what is she exactly planning?
Well, Jordan Chiles is dreaming big. Turns out real estate is her next passion. At a recent event, she spilled that she plans to pursue a career in the field once she’s done with gymnastics. And if you think that’s random, think again. She’s already got business chops from working with her mom and seems ready to make some moves. Oh, and she’s a massive fan of Netflix’s Selling Sunset. “If I was on ‘Selling Sunset,’ I literally would cry because those people, I love them so much,” she admitted. “I’ve watched every single season, and they definitely have different personalities, but I don’t know. If they want me as a guest, I will be a guest.”
She is not ruling out a possible guest appearance or even a full-time role on the show after she gets her real estate license. “We’ll see. We’ll see. I don’t know yet.” What’s clear, though, is that Jordan Chiles isn’t sticking to one lane. Gymnastics was just the start. Real estate, reality TV, breaking barriers—she’s ready to do it all. But being stripped of the medal and still planning so much is no joke!
The shocking medal drama that nearly ruined Jordan Chiles’ career
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After shining at the Paris Olympics with a team gold, Jordan Chiles found herself tangled in a medal drama during the floor exercise finals. Initially, Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu was placed third. But then, USA Gymnastics head coach Cecile Landi appealed, arguing that the judges had missed scoring Jordan Chiles’ Gogean in her routine. The appeal was approved, and Jordan Chiles was awarded the bronze.
But it didn’t end there. The Romanian team filed their own appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), claiming Chiles’ appeal came in too late—past the one-minute deadline. CAS sided with Romania, forcing the International Gymnastics Federation to reverse its decision. The bronze medal went back to Barbosu, and the 23-year-old was left empty-handed.
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The whole ordeal took a serious toll on her mental health. She took to social media to announce she’d be stepping back for a bit to focus on herself. “This brought back so many painful memories,” she shared, referencing her history with an abusive coach. “I didn’t have the ability to use my voice or be heard back then. And now, in this situation, I feel like I wasn’t heard again.”
At one point, she even considered walking away from gymnastics entirely. But through it all, she kept her head high, saying, “I made history, and I’ll always continue to make history. I followed the rules, and so did my coach.” With this, Jordan Chiles’ journey through the medal controversy revealed much more than just a fight for recognition. She clearly shows the biggest victories come from how we handle life’s toughest challenges.
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Did Jordan Chiles' medal controversy reveal the flaws in gymnastics judging, or was it just bad luck?