“Didn’t Think that Sport Wanted Me”: Jordan Chiles Confesses Brutal Reality That Brought Her Back to Gymnastics

“At the end of the day, nobody can take away who Jordan Chiles is,”  the Olympic silver medalist said reflecting on her decision to continue in gymnastics despite facing racism. Jordan Chiles has now found inner strength and the ability to negate all the useless criticism. However, there was a point when she nearly quit, feeling undervalued and overlooked in a predominantly white sport. 

After a brief hiatus, Chiles’ return to gymnastics was spurred by a combination of personal challenges and determination to achieve her goals. She faced brutal bullying and many underhanded comments, but Jordan Chiles has turned all that hate into fuel for success. Now, she inspires a whole generation of young athletes with her achievements.

Jordan Chiles on why she refused to quit gymnastics

In a recent interview reel on Instagram from NBC DFW, Jordan Chiles emphasized how planning to not quit gymnastics has been the best decision of her life. They captioned it, @teamusa gymnast @jordanchiles says she almost quit gymnastics because she “didn’t think the sport wanted me.” Jordan herself is seen in the video saying, “I didn’t think people around me wanted to see this beautiful black girl in a leo anymore.”These challenges arose following a series of racist comments and a lack of representation in amateur gymnastics. A former coach made humiliating remarks about Jordan Chiles’ hair, referring to her as a ‘double head’ because of its size.

Moreover, she recalled someone questioning if she was truly her mother’s daughter because of her dark skin. Despite this, Chiles decided to persevere. Reflecting on her journey, she said, “I’m happy that I didn’t do that. I’m happy that I am the person I am today. I’m happy that I can look back and be like, this is the old Jordan.” She emphasized that her current efforts are for herself and to inspire the younger generation, encouraging them to embrace who they are. In 2018, Jordan Chiles teamed up with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics, an NGO. The organization aims to make sports more accessible to people of color.

Given the stark disparity, it’s evident that only 7% of NCAA gymnastics trainees are black. Additionally, only 8% of head coaches are Black. Chile’s said, about joining the NGO, “I like giving back to any community. I’m a giver. This is my love language.” This is one of the primary reasons she stayed on, just to prove to everyone that it’s possible to succeed as a person of color. In her own words, there’s just “one Jordan”. In the 2020 Tokyo Games, when Chile qualified for the Olympics alongside Suni Lee and Simone Biles, they formed the most diverse team in USA history.

Chiles has been embracing more of her “spunky” personality. At UCLA, she chose 90’s hip-hop for her routine, once again representing a predominantly African-American genre. Teammate Margzetta Frazier said, “I loved Jordan’s routine so much. I’m sure that was such a culture shock.” In this way, by subverting age-old norms, Chiles has carved out a space for herself in the sports she loves.

Jordan Chiles is determined to make her community proud

At the 2020 Tokyo Games, alongside Biles and Lee, the team won silver for US gymnastics. Though she did not qualify for individual events, her contribution to the team was significant. In 2022, she had a breakout year at the Worlds in Liverpool, where she won a gold medal with the team, recording a high score of 55.833. Individually, Chiles secured silver in both the vault and floor exercise with scores of 14.400 and 14.000, respectively. Additionally, in the Pan American Games in Santiago, Jordan Chiles won three medals: a gold with the team, a silver on the vault, and an all-around bronze medal.

In the 2023 US National Championships, Jordan Chiles finished second on the uneven bars, fourth on the vault, and fifth in the all-around. During her time at UCLA and in the collegiate leagues, she achieved an astounding eight perfect 10.0 scores. She has also won NCAA titles in the uneven bars and floor exercises. This year, audiences eagerly anticipate seeing Chiles represent Black culture and take Black representation to the Olympics. Hopefully, more athletes of color who have worked hard for their opportunities will join her. Athletes like Simone Biles and Fred Richards serve as great examples.