The Team USA Gymnastics women have stormed the castle, a.k.a. Bercy Arena, at the 2024 Paris Olympics with their opening act. When Jordan Chiles strutted into the arena on July 28 for her second Olympic trip, few saw it coming at the start of the year. Her mission? To conquer a haunting memory.

Let’s rewind to Tokyo. It was the day of qualifying. Inside the eerily quiet Ariake Gymnastics Center, where she could hear every breath, every step she took, Chiles fell off the balance beam and followed that with a less-than-stellar performance on the uneven bars. The verdict was made – it was far from her best performance. She knew it; the judges knew it. Chiles didn’t qualify for any of the individual finals. Her first thought? “This is crazy; I failed.” But flash forward to Day 2 at the Paris Olympics, and what looked like the night for redemption ended in heartbreak yet again.

With the entire squad on a redemption tour of their own, Team USA came out swinging, finishing on top of the scoresheet, edging out Italy with a 5.435-point margin, per Olympics.com. The powerhouse sealed its spot in the final right after topping the Women’s Qualification – Subdivision 2 charts, but that was also when Jordan Chiles realized her fate. Here’s how the 23-year-old fared against her teammates: –

Chiles came in third among her teammates and fourth overall. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade placed second with a significant margin of 1.568 points clear of Suni Lee in third. The reigning Olympic all-around champion edged out Chiles by just 0.067 points, ensuring she’ll continue her bid to defend her all-around title in Paris. But Chiles didn’t make it to the all-around individual final, even after finishing fourth. Seeing as the top 24 gymnasts qualify for it, Jordan Chiles would’ve made it had it not been for the two-per-country rule.

Per the rule, only two gymnasts from one National Olympic Committee (NOC) can compete in an individual finals. It was introduced to ensure that powerhouse gymnastics nations like the US, China, and Japan don’t run away with all the medals, giving every country a chance to compete on a level playing field. Since Jordan Chiles missed out on third place by 0.067 points, it’ll be Suni Lee joining Simone Biles in the all-around finals. However, considering events like the Olympics are all about competing against the best of the best, this rule does prevent that from happening. And it’s received criticism for it.

When the 23-year-old realized she wouldn’t make the all-around finals, her coach, Cecile Landi, wrote on Instagram, “Very proud of you, Jo!!! This 2 per country rule is💩😢” Something similar happened at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and Gabby Douglas finished 1-2-3 in the all-around charts, but only Biles and Raisman qualified for the final. “It’s just stupid. I think the two-per-country rule is the dumbest thing ever,” Raisman said. “Who cares if there’s five Chinese girls in the finals? If they’re the best, they should compete.” Despite being one of the best, Chiles missed out. But hold the tissues!

Her spectacular Beyoncé-inspired Floor Exercise routine means she’ll be dunking it out in the floor apparatus finals with her bestie, Simone Biles. Jordan Chiles is back with a vengeance, ready to flip the script on past disappointments. So how did she and the Team USA Gymnastics women fare on their Paris Olympics adventure in Subdivision 2 qualifications?

Jordan Chiles’ redemption of sorts? A look at her first performance at the Paris Olympics!

“I’m that girl.” Jordan Chiles, along with the Team USA Gymnastics women, began her Paris Olympics opening day in the Subdivision 2 qualification. The first rotation started on Balance Beam. Chiles’ routine included a pike front mount with steps forward, two arm waves but stayed on; back handspring (BHS), layout step-out (LSO), layout step-out (LSO); front aerial, straddle, BHS with a slight check; side somi; switch leap, sissone; aerial with another slight check; switch side; and double pike with one hop. This earned her a score of 13.600.

The second rotation for the Team USA gymnastics stars was Floor Exercise. Here, the ever-sassy Chiles rocked it out of the park to some Beyoncé. She performed a Chusovitina (Chuso), nearly stuck; front full to full-in, chest slightly down, small hop forward; wolf 2/1, overspun a bit; switch leap, Gogean; double layout with steps forward again. She finished with a full-twisting piked Shushunova. The 23-year-old looked happy with it and topped the apparatus score in the subdivision with a massive 13.866.

Next, in the third rotation, the ladies took on the Vault. Jordan Chiles did a Double-Twisting Yurchenko in her first vault, which was huge and clean, with a hop back and then a step to present. This earned her a score of 14.333. Her second vault was a clean Lopez with one hop, scoring 14.100 and averaging 14.216.

In the final rotation, Jordan Chiles and the USA Gymnastics women’s squad took on the Uneven Bars. Chiles’ routine included a Maloney half, piked Jaeger, toe full, piked Tkatchev, Pak; she was a bit far but got it, Maloney, Gienger, and a full out with a step forward, earning her a score of 14.266.

Jordan Chiles and Team USA certainly made their presence known on the opening day of the Paris Olympics qualifications! What are your thoughts on her missing out on the all-around qualification? Share your thoughts in the comments below!