When U.S. Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles was 17, one of her former coaches called her “double head,” because, as she recalled, her “hair was too big.” Someone also questioned whether she was her mother’s daughter because of her darker skin.
Those common occurrences — and an overall lack of diversity within amateur gymnastics — caused Chiles to contemplate leaving the sport she loved.
“I wanted to be done, because I didn’t think ... the sport wanted me,” Chiles said on NBC’s “My New Favorite Olympian” podcast. “I didn’t think people around me wanted to see this beautiful Black girl in a [leotard] anymore.”
But Chiles chose to persevere. Instead of quitting, she continued embracing her true self and embarked on a journey of empowering women of color.
In 2018, Chiles teamed up with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics, a nonprofit organization that aims to increase access to the sport for people of color. According to NCAA data from last year, just 8% of female NCAA gymnasts are Black and just 7% of gymnastics head coaches are Black.
Because Brown Girls Do Gymnastics partners with historically Black colleges and universities to help them launch teams, it caught Chiles’ eye. She used her platform as a rising star to endorse its mission.
“The diversity part of everything, I like giving back to any community,” she said. “I’m a giver. This is my love language. So knowing that I have the ability to help fund or do anything to support their foundation definitely makes me feel so heart-like.”
For Chiles, another personal goal awaited: competing in the Olympics. A turning point came in 2019 when she moved to Houston to join the World Champions Center and train alongside gold medalist Simone Biles in pursuit of the 2020 Games.
Chiles’ qualification for the Tokyo Games, along with Biles and Suni Lee, helped form half of the most diverse U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team ever. The trio helped the U.S. team win a silver medal.
After the Olympics, Chiles headed to UCLA, where she competed in gymnastics and continued embracing her true self. It was in Westwood that she chose ’90’s hip-hop for her routine rather than classical music traditionally used by her competitors.
While it may have seemed like a small decision, Chiles said, her authenticity was crucial in helping gymnastics evolve into inclusivity. It also inspired her colleagues.
“I loved Jordan’s routine so much. I’m sure that was such a culture shock” for the coaches, former UCLA teammate Margzetta Frazier said. “I think because they loved it so much, they’re going to start integrating it into more of the other gymnasts on the team.”
Chiles’ celebration of Black culture came during a contentious time for UCLA, however. Before she arrived, Bruins coach Chris Waller resigned following a controversy over how his administration handled an alleged racist incident.
But the controversy didn’t overshadow what Chiles and her teammates accomplished shortly thereafter: being part of the first all-Black podium at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.
Now, as Chiles looks ahead to the 2024 Olympics in pursuit of success, she’s leaning into inspiring the younger generation to do as she did.
“I’ve cried a couple times,” she said. “I’ve had times where I look at them in their faces and I’m just like, ‘You are the most beautiful human being that God has created.’ I definitely enjoy the fact that the younger generation has someone to look up to that’s like me.”
