America’s Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their gloved fists as the national anthem played after the medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics. This was one of the most profound moments in the history of black people and black athletes. That human rights salute paved the way for today’s Olympians, like Jordan Chiles, to hold their heads high in the national and international arena.

The US houses several black athletes today across various disciplines who win the top medals for their country. USA Gymnastics especially boasts its lineup of black athletes who shine in the world and the Olympic Games. Interestingly, a recent social media post featured these champions and saw Jordan Chiles noting a positive change in perception towards black athletes.

Jordan Chiles highlights how she embraced her identity

USA Gymnastics and Team USA jointly added a new post to Instagram featuring Jordan Chiles, Shilese Jones, and Konnor McClain on the occasion of Black History Month. The post carried the caption, “Paving the way for future generations ❤️. #BlackHistoryMonth.” The post also carried excerpts from an interview with these three gymnasts conducted last year.

Jordan Chiles was quoted as saying in the interview, “I feel like now that we’re understanding more, we’re able to embrace who we are. We can just be who we want to be.” The world champion said this after narrating that she started to fully grasp her identity at the age of 16.

The three athletes were specifically invited because of the historical moment they had created at the 2022 US Gymnastics Championship. The trio had secured the top three spots in the all-around category at the event. This was the first time in the history of US gymnastics that all the medals were won by black gymnasts. Interestingly, Jordan Chiles gave an account of what she felt at that moment and what the trio thought of this achievement.

When the world looked on as US gymnasts made history

Konnor McClain, Shilese Jones, and Jordan Chiles bagged the gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 2022 US Gymnastics Championship. Speaking about all spots on the podium belonging to black athletes, she noted, “Honestly, I think it was more of like, wow, we’re really standing up here, there’s three of us, not just one, but just being able to look at each other and be like, wow.”

Jordan Chiles also said, “We did something great for not just the people above us, but also the generation that’s under us. And not only is our sport turning more into a diverse sport, but just knowing that it was just the beginning of something that’s going to continue to be more. I feel like it was just all the aches and pains that we went through and we have been able to dominate and just thrive and continue to succeed in what we did.”

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Lastly, she noted that every time she sees the picture where the trio gloriously stands, she feels proud of that achievement. Jordan Chiles said, “\I’m just like, wow, we did that. And I feel like we’re heroes in a lot of ways.” With this moment framed in her mind, Chiles will look forward to achieving even bigger things. While she may not partake in the upcoming Winter Cup because of a shoulder injury, she’ll not take long to dominate the floor once again.

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