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Jordan Chiles clinches Paris Olympics spot—How much does celebrity support impact an athlete's performance?

“Your dreams are very powerful,” said American Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles. “They are beyond measure and something you don’t want to take for granted.” Chiles has dreamt of winning Olympic medals, World Championships, brand endorsements, and meeting her favorite singer—and she’s made all these dreams a reality.

Recently, she secured her spot in the U.S. Olympic team for the Paris 2024 Games, marking her second advance to the elite stage since 2021. Amid the celebrations, Chiles received a heartwarming surprise from Megan Thee Stallion, the Grammy-winning rapper. This unexpected gesture added extra joy to Chiles’ achievement and highlighted the growing bond between sports and entertainment.

Jordan Chiles’ Olympic aspirations fueled by surprise support

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Recently, gymnast Jordan Chiles shared a clip on her Instagram story of receiving a bouquet of flowers from Megan Thee Stallion. She captioned it, “@theestallion I’m crying 😭😭 friend thank you so much these flowers are so beautiful.” The bouquet also came with a note where Megan had written, “Congratulations On Qualifying For The AHHH-lympics! Very Excited To Watch You Shine In Paris And Represents For All The Hot Girls! Megan”. The two have developed a close friendship over the years. Chiles has been plenty vocal about how much she appreciates Megan Thee Stallion’s music. In a conversation with Essence in 2022, Jordan shared “You know, [Megan’s music] always be hyping me up all the time. Thee Stallion always just knows how to get to the key point in her raps.” 

She met Megan during the 2023 Essence Festival of Culture and posted a picture with the pop icon writing at the time, “Yall!!! I met miss H-Town Hottie… and yes I did cry [weeping emoji]”. This year’s flowers were likely a tribute to Chiles for making it onto the US team. At the trials, Jordan Chiles placed third on the leaderboard with a score of 56.400 on the first day, just behind Simone Biles. She excelled on the uneven bars, scoring 14.350 and securing third place after the first rotation. Her vault performances were also impressive, earning 14.325 for a Yurchenko double twist and 14.250 for a Yurchenko double full, with an average score of 14.375.

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Though Chiles stumbled on the balance beam and scored a low 12.225 due to a fall, she bounced back with the floor exercise. In her first pass, she performed a sky-high, full-twisting double layout which earned her 14.200. Reflecting on her performance, she mentioned that while she can lead, she is also inspired by others. She acknowledged that despite having some experience, she still has much to learn. Chiles noted that she went to the Olympics before competing in a World Championship and can offer advice on what to do, what not to do, and how to take care of oneself. Jordan Chiles earned her spot on the team with 111.425 points and now looks forward to the Paris Olympics with renewed excitement.

Jordan Chiles anticipates Paris Olympics with renewed excitement

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Jordan Chiles clinches Paris Olympics spot—How much does celebrity support impact an athlete's performance?

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Chiles has often cited Megan thee Stallion as one of her favorite artists alongside Beyonce and Lizzo. In turn, Megan also expressed her support for Chiles as she advances to Paris and will try to win her first gold medal. Megan told ESPN, “You is her..Imma be out there (Paris) my friend! I wanna support you.” This will be Chile’s second Olympics since Tokyo three years back where she won a silver medal in the team event. Since then she has only improved. She earned a gold as part of the USA team in the 2022 World Championships.

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In addition to a team gold, silver on the vault, and an all-around bronze during the 2023 Pan American Games, Jordan Chiles also clinched gold medals on bars and floor exercise at the 2023 NCAA Championships. Her 2023 season at UCLA saw her achieve an impressive eight perfect scores of 10. Moreover, she secured gold on floor and silver on vault at the 2022 World Challenge Cup. Chiles unquestionably possesses the mettle to excel in championships, and she remains focused on her training.

Chiles trains at the WCC which includes a total of 8 rigorous weekly regimes. She has two practices on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. She is known to also maintain a strict diet with lots of fruits, veggies and healthy animal protein. Alongside this, rest and recovery are her top priorities. Chiles is also coached by Simone Biles’ coach Cecile Landi and so she is without doubt in good hands.