Despite undergoing the painful ordeal of losing her first individual Olympic medal, Jordan Chiles has fond memories of Paris 2024. On September 4, Chiles appeared on the Chicks in the Office podcast after taking a break from social media. The gymnast needed time to process the pain of the Court of Arbitration for Sports’ verdict stripping her bronze medal.

However, throughout this ordeal, the Paris 2024 team all-around gold medalist had Simone Biles by her side. So while discussing the Summer Games, the 23-year-old couldn’t help but mention how Biles also helped Sunisa Lee. “The biggest one that happened was when me, Suni and Simone had a talk before team finals,” Chiles said during her podcast appearance.

“Suni kind of needed to like, get something off her chest… She was like, ‘I’m feeling some type of way.'” said Jordan Chiles without divulging the details of Sunisa Lee’s troubles. The confession prompted Lee’s teammates to immediately intervene. “We’re like, okay, we’re gonna squash this right now,” Chiles recalled telling Sunisa Lee.

“We’re gonna do what we need to do to make sure you’re good going into the finals,” the duo told the Tokyo 2020 all-around champion. The seven-time Olympic gold medalist may have seen a glimpse of herself from 2021 in Sunisa Lee. The ‘twisties’ crept up behind Simone Biles during the Tokyo games, and it was too late by the time she realized it was already too late.

The symbolic leader of the women’s gymnastics team and her best friend didn’t want Lee to suffer the day of the finals. Lee’s teammates knew she would blame herself if the team lost gold on the day of the finals, so they talked. The following day, a rejuvenated Sunisa Lee scored 13.533 on floor exercise, helping Team USA Gymnastics reclaim their crown as Olympic champions.

The women of Team USA spoke about finding redemption in Paris. So when self-doubt threatened Sunisa Lee’s confidence, her teammates were there to help. “I think it’s really good being able to have somebody, you know, to lean on,” said Jordan Chiles. And Simone Biles will always be that ‘somebody’ for her best friend.

How Simone Biles helped Jordan Chiles move on

After getting bumped to third place thanks to a review request by coach Cecile Landi, Jordan Chiles made history in Paris. She was part of the first all-black gymnastics podium in the Olympics. However, her joy turned to sorrow when Romanian fans on social media lambasted Chiles. The incident inside Bercy Arena sparked an international uproar that ended in Chiles losing her medal.

However, when Chiles withdrew from social media and Romania’s Ana Barbosu was reinstated as the floor bronze medalist, Simone Biles didn’t give up. Biles continued to send “little things” to cheer up her BFF. After initially bowing out in Tokyo, the gymnastics GOAT had to overcome crippling mental health challenges.

However, the most decorated gymnast in history knew that her World Champions Center training partner had it for her to bounce back. Biles’ confidence in her friend and fellow Olympian paid off when Chiles returned to the spotlight at Minute Made Park. The iconic duo had a great time as the Houston Astros honored Houston’s Olympians on home ground. While Biles and Chiles may be closer to one another than the rest of their teammates, they all share a deep connection. It’s what helped Sunisa Lee recover from a momentary lapse in confidence.