Former UCLA Bruins gymnast Jordan Chiles greatly rooted for her contemporary Simone Biles at the Core Hydration Classic on August 5. Besides being the legendary gymnast’s avid cheerleader, Chiles has also participated in the event in the uneven bars and balance beam categories.
Jordan Chiles is an African-American, born to parents Timothy and Gina Chiles on April 15, 2001. Interestingly, her first name ‘Jordan’ is inspired by the legendary basketball player Michael Jordan.
22-year-old Jordan Chiles was born in Oregon and brought up in Washington. However, in 2019 her gymnastics talent made her move to Spring, Texas, to train at the World Champions Centre, with Olympic legend Simone Biles. Nevertheless, she has been a member of the United States women’s national gymnastics team since 2013.
In 2022, she joined UCLA and participated in several college meets. Finally, in 2023, at the NCAA championship, Chiles earned her fifth perfect 10 on bars. It gave her the boost to prepare for the Olympics 2024.
Therefore, the gymnast decided not to return to UCLA for the 2024 season. Instead, she will be focusing entirely on improving her form and performing her best at the Olympics.
In her career so far, the young gymnast has represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics and also won a silver medal in the team event. At the 2022 World Championships, she was a member of the US team that won the gold medal.
Moreover, Chiles achieved silver medals at the vault and floor exercise events. Presently, she enjoys a net worth of $ 1.5 million through her gymnastics talents and collaborations with brands such as GK Elite and Nike.
Simone Biles motivated Jordan Chiles to pursue gymnastics
In 2021, Jordan Chiles and her mother appeared in a conversation with New York Times, talking about the gymnast’s career. Gina Chiles revealed that her daughter decided to quit the sport when she was placed 11th at nationals in 2018. The gymnast felt like it was the end of her career. It only left her with a mindset of finishing high school and then attending college.
However, things changed when Chiles talked to Simone Biles. The seven-time Olympic gymnast suggested she train with her at her gym, World Champions Centre in Texas. Chiles got the opportunity to train under Biles’s coach Cecile and Laurent Landi. The 22-year-old agreed to her proposal.
Eventually, the experience changed her perspective, and Chiles found the joy in gymnastics. In an interview with Today, she spoke about her realization,
“I discovered that gymnastics doesn’t always have to be about strictness and being so hard on yourself and having so much doubt.”
Furthermore, she said,
“I actually realized this when I saw Simone compete. She looks like she’s having fun out there, laughing and giggling, and doesn’t look stressed or tired. I was like, ‘You know, I’m going to try that one of these days and see how it turns out.’”
