Competition starts tomorrow for Olympic gymnastics(!), and there’s one name you’re about to hear more of: Jordan Chiles. The elite gymnast is at the Olympics for the first time and she also just so happens to be tight with her teammate, G.O.A.T. gymnast Simone Biles.
The two are training buddies, and Simone played a huge role in getting Jordan to where she is today.
But who is Jordan Chiles, exactly? (Hint: She’s got big plans for after the Olympics end.)
Here’s everything you need to know about this 20-year-old who is reaching for gold during the Tokyo Summer Games.
She nearly gave up on elite gymnastics.
The world of elite gymnastics is no joke—your life is basically the sport. So, when Jordan finished 11th at U.S. Nationals in 2017, she considered being done with elite gymnastics and going to UCLA, according to The New York Times. Apparently Simone stepped in and asked Jordan to come and train with her in Texas—and she did.
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She and Simone are training buddies.
Jordan shares the same coaches as Simone—Cecile and Laurent Landi—and the two train together. It was kind of a big deal when they both made the Olympics team, given that it’s pretty rare for two people from the exact same gym to make the competing squad of four, out of the entire country.
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She has her own clothing line.
Jordan launched a company called Melanin Drip Clothing Co. after having surgery on her wrist in November 2019. It sells athleisure, including a hoodie that says, “I love my hair. It is my crown.”
She’s the youngest of 5 children.
Jordan’s father, Timothy, reportedly signed her up for gymnastics after he spent a week alone with his energetic daughter while her mother, Gina, was on a business trip, per the New York Times.
She’s won a ton of awards.
Jordan won the all-around at the Winter Cup in February and finished second to Simone at the U.S. Classic in May, according to her USA Gymnastics bio. Worth noting, per the Times: She hasn’t made a major mistake in competition all year.
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She’s planning to go to UCLA after the Olympics.
Jordan committed to joining the gymnastics team at UCLA but deferred her enrollment until after the Olympic Games and the Gold Over America post-Olympic gymnastics tour. She plans to major in zoology and should graduate in 2024.
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