Jordan Chiles has been on one wild emotional ride since her return from Paris. The UCLA star and Olympic gymnast snagged two Olympic medals—well, until one was controversially stripped away, sending her into a serious emotional tailspin. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of Romania’s Ana Barbosu, leaving Chiles gutted. She even went dark on social media for a while, struggling with the crushing disappointment. But you can’t keep Jordan down for long!

She bounced back with a vengeance, diving into the spotlight and attending event after event. First up, she landed on the cover of Teen Vogue’s July/August edition, followed by appearances at New York Fashion Week and the MTV Video Music Awards. And as if that wasn’t enough, she even threw the first pitch at an MLB game. Now, she’s living it up on the Gold Over America Tour, showing the world she’s not letting any dark days keep her down. It looks like Chiles found her way to keep those negative thoughts in check—and maybe she borrowed a page from Suni Lee’s playbook!

After winning the all-around gold back in Tokyo, Lee faced a swarm of criticism from all over America. She was immediately accused of being unworthy of the gold medal. As if that was not enough, Lee almost had to give up her professional career due to complications in her kidney. Thus, to relax from all these, Lee developed the habit of journaling. In an interview with Self.com, Lee mentioned how she wrote all her worries in a physical longhand book before going to bed. And it did wonders for the Auburn gymnast. Overcoming the adversities, Lee shone bright in Paris. Likewise, Jordan Chiles too, has a habit of letting off her stress. And how does she do it?

Well, Chiles draws. Opening up about her unique interest in an exclusive interview with TZR, the Olympic gold medalist stated, “I kind of developed [that interest] during Covid… I felt like, if I could draw my thoughts out, it could give me a better picture on what I’m going through. And it’s kind of the same with Suni journaling. She developed that after Tokyo.” But that’s not all!

Jordan Chiles further explained that it was she who advised Lee to express her feelings in some way or another that kind of led Suni Lee to pursue her habit of journaling. She said, “I literally had told her, even in Paris, I was like, ‘You can’t just leave your thoughts inside. You have to speak out on them.”

Well, surely the habit of drawing and journaling seems to have done wonders for both athletes. Soaking in all their negative thoughts, both Lee and Chiles seem to be enjoying the cream of their professional career. In a similar fashion, Chiles recently gave a major update on how her gymnastics journey would look in the future.

Jordan Chiles goes back to UCLA once again

Always preferring college gymnastics over the cut-throat toiling of her elite career, Chiles is once again at UCLA. Right after the conclusion of Paris, the Team USA gymnast pointed out that she would be heading back to UCLA, taking a break from her elite career. Currently engrossed with the pop-style gymnastics spectacle, Gold Over America Tour, Chiles seems to be fixated on her NCAA comeback. In a recent update shared on her Instagram story, the 23-year-old revealed the entire schedule that the Bruins would be following in the upcoming season. 

According to her update, things will be starting with an interactive event named ‘Meet the Bruins’ on December 14. It will be from January 18, 2025, that the actual action will begin and fans will be able to see Chiles dazzling in UCLA colors. Coming back to her college, the Olympian would be hoping to contribute significantly and try to win the championship. 

In her 2022 season, Chiles finished with 432.775 points to become the leading scorer. She also had three perfect 10 performances with the Bruins while boasting PAC-12 and All-American honors. Thus, with Chiles seemingly over her Paris heartbreak, it is now time for her to take some giant leaps in her quest to become a gymnastics icon.