Ask any parent in your vicinity what’s their favorite thing in the world, and most of them would answer with the names of their children. And when the child goes on to achieve a rare feat on the grandest stage of them all, all the more reason for their parents to beam with pride. The youngest of five children, Jordan Chiles might have arrived late to the party, but remembering how her birth was a trying time for the family, Gina Chiles can hardly stop feeling emotional, even now.

With a long list of national and international medals under her belt, the UCLA gymnast is certainly one of the greatest of our generation. And yet, for Gina, the joy her daughter has brought to the family is easily outmatched by the joy of holding baby Jordan in her arms for the first time.

On October 4, the Got It From My Momma podcast roped in Gina Chiles to talk about the 23-year-old star’s triumphant Parisian campaign. During the conversation, Gina also shed light on how the family provided Jordan with constant support to help her pursue her dreams. But along with sharing her jubilation to see Jordan prosper, Gina also revealed how her youngest child came into the world when the family was at an all-time low. “We had a very difficult time having Jordan…I had many lost pregnancies and even was pregnant with twins, and made it to five months and lost them both,” said Gina.

The family endured the heartbreaks, Naturally, when they found out about Jordan, whose name they still hadn’t decided upon, it was unbridled joy. However, previous experiences made them hesitant to share the news immediately, and they chose to keep the secret to themselves for the time being. “When we were finally like pregnant with Jordan, we didn’t tell anyone. We didn’t say much because we didn’t know,” said the Olympian’s doting mother.

But the news lifted the spirit of Gina’s husband as well, who was previously devastated by his wife’s ordeal. Knowing how Gina was an avid sports lover, he also agreed to the former wanting to name the newborn anything she wanted. “My husband was like, you can name her whatever you want. and I was like Jordan, her name will be Jordan,” Gina revealed in the podcast how she didn’t waste any time on deciding to name her third daughter after the legendary basketball star.

In a full-circle moment ahead of the Paris Olympics, Michael Jordan even gave a shout-out to the Chiles, who’s also a huge fan of his sneaker collection saying, “Hey Jordan, this is Michael Jordan. I am so excited to watch you win a gold medal. Here’s to wishing you nothing but good luck. Let’s catch up afterwards. Hope to see you soon. MJ. Btw, love the name.” And the gymnast soon proved to be more than worthy of carrying the name.

Jordan Chiles’ mom thinks the world of Simone Biles for her help

Jordan made her elite gymnastics debut at the 2013 American Classic, where she won one silver and one bronze. Since then, she rarely had to look back on her growth as a gifted athlete. However, 2018 was a tumultuous year for her, and she had to be aided by the country’s most decorated gymnast of all time, Simone Biles, to come out of her rough patch. Chiles relocated to Texas to train with Biles at the World Champions Center. There, she got to perfect her skills under the watchful eye of Cecile Landi and has since bagged two Olympic medals, sealing her position among the country’s top gymnasts.

Gina also lauded Biles for her support in helping Jordan handle the stress. The move proved to be blissful for Chiles, and Gina couldn’t be more thankful. Considering how Jordan came to Gina after repeated heartbreaks, it is only natural that the latter feels all the pride in the world watching her youngest conquer the world. And yet, Jordan’s Olympic fortune continues to cast a daunting shadow on her life.

Only five days after Chiles won her individual floor routine bronze at the Paris Games, the Court of Arbitration notified that the American would need to hand over her hardware. The unprecedented decision was announced after the IOC and CAS claimed that the inquiry raised by Landi wasn’t done within the 1-minute mark set by the FIG.

But everyone around Jordan refused to accept the directive without a fight. Gina noted her dissatisfaction at how her daughter was being subjected to online bullying and heckling. Jordan’s sister Jazmin also slammed the decision for its ignorance.”Not because she didn’t win, not because she was drugged, not because she stepped out of bounds. Not because she wasn’t good enough. But because the judges failed to give her difficulty and forced an inquiry to be made,” Jazmin fumed.

But Jordan is on her way to bouncing back from the setback, and she’s currently touring the entire country with Biles and their other national teammates for the Gold Over America Tour. How much do you love to see her in action? Tell us your admiration for Jordan Chiles in the comments below!