Jordan Chiles

thumb|Jordan Chiles Jordan Lucella Elizabeth Chiles (born April 15, 2001) is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2024 Summer Olympics, having previously been a member of the silver medal-winning team at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She was also a member of the team that won gold at the 2022 World Championships. Individually, she was the 2022 World vault and floor exercise silver medalist. Quotes For me, the crowd hypes me up and I vibe off the crowd’s energy, When my music comes on and the crowd roars, I want to beat the mess out of my routines. If you’re not having fun yet, you’re about to. I don’t think anyone can work a crowd like Jordan Chiles. Around 14 years old, I was like: ‘You know what? I’m not going to listen to anybody, 'I’m just going to do me, go out there and have fun, and just live life to the fullest.' That’s how I overcame people always telling me to dim my light. It’s something that I don’t want to happen ever again. Being able to say I didn’t just train for some years, I trained my whole life to become an Olympian, is crazy. When I was younger, all I did was, ‘Bye, Mom. Going off to school. Going to go to practice. My family had to sacrifice a lot of things, especially my siblings, taking me to the gym and doing all these things for me. It’s been like that my whole life. But now, I try to shy away from all of that attention. I was that center when I was younger and I want to give everybody else that attention now. “I don’t really know where I am in my healing process,Some days I feel great, and then on days like making my second Olympics, I was so happy and then I was sad that they weren’t there to witness it. They were both my biggest supporters and they are my why. They wanted this for me and I wanted to do it for them. It’s funny, I always joke with them because I am a gymnast, I always am like, ‘You know I flip on a four-inch piece of wood? Come on now.’ I am falling out of the sky, landing on my feet somehow. I joke with them a lot. But knowing that they’re always on their 10 toes with me, keeping their eyes open 24/7, really helps because they’re not just there to make sure I’m getting my stuff done. They’re also protecting me. I didn’t think the sport wanted me anymore, So I went in the opposite direction. Early on in my gymnastics career, I was shamed into thinking I wasn't fit enough and that I should just consume clear-based soups, At that time, I had no body fat and abs for days. I was traumatized when I was younger, I was getting weighed. I was told I could only eat certain things. There were a lot of things that I was told because I had to ‘look a certain way.’ But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized we’re human. Our bodies go through different changes. I’m a woman, so obviously, when it comes to hormonal situations or my cycle, I can’t control that. Sometimes I’ll eat it, but I won’t eat the whole thing, Because that’s kind of where that trauma comes into play. It’s like you feel somebody’s always looking at you There’d be times when I would sit at the dinner table and if somebody, like my parents or siblings, told me something, my whole appetite would go away. It would just shut off and I wouldn’t eat anything. It took me a while to actually ask for help because my sport does teach us to be independent, But when I finally did, I was at ease with my mental health and being able to say, ‘It’s okay to ask for help.’ I feel more confident in myself and I’m able to be the Jordan that I’ve always wanted to be when I first started gymnastics. Some lady in the crowd basically was like, ‘She doesn’t deserve to be on the floor. She doesn’t even look like anybody else, People were racially attacking me without me even really knowing. I’m young, so I only know the story because my mom told me. Security had to come and say, ‘Ma’am, she’s doing everything just like everybody else.’ I’ve gotten medals taken away from me. I’ve been told that my mom wasn’t my mom. I’ve gotten told that I wasn’t Black. I wanted to be done because I didn’t think the sport wanted me. I didn’t think people around me wanted to see a beautiful Black girl in a [leotard] anymore. I can tell the younger generation, ‘Look, if this ever happens, use your voice, say what you need to say. And if you get kicked out of the gym, you get kicked out of the gym, I’ve been through that cycle once before. My brain now is like, Okay, you’ve done it, so let’s do it again. You don’t have anything to prove, I’m going out there for myself…because at the end of the day, I’ll always be proud'But at least you were able to stand up for yourself. At least you were able to tell them how you truly feel. I didn’t know how consistent I was or how trustworthy I was until Tokyo and me being able to step in for such an amazing person, stepping into some huge shoes, it definitely gave me more confidence in knowing that, Okay, no matter what’s thrown at me, I will be able to be trusted, Now I can relax and not get too much in my head because I know I can go up and hit a routine or go up there and be me. I may be competing for a spot too, but I want everyone to win, I do my best gymnastics when I am out there relaxed and helping others feel supported. I'm going to be the person that I need to be because I was put on this earth for a reason, I wasn’t taught to change my personality, I wasn't taught to change the person I am because that’s not being the authentic girl that grew up to have these big dreams. I’m not being dramatic. I’m being myself, This is the personality that was given to me. I’m outgoing. How are you going to take something that was gifted to me? My mom always tells me: ‘Be the best Jordan you can be. Don’t try to be the next person, just be you. I like knowing that I am 23 and I’ve accomplished so much, It’s just the beginning of my life story. I have so much life to live. I know what my passion and my worth are on this earth and I will continue to do everything I need to fulfill every dream I have. Jordan Chiles Knows It's Her Time to Shine, July 23 2024 External links Category:Track and field athletes Category:Gymnasts Category:2001 births Category:Women in sports Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from the United States Category:Women from the United States Category:Women born in the 2000s Category:People from Oregon Category:African Americans Category:Olympic gold medalists