At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, gymnast Jordan Chiles scored a team gold medal and individual bronze in floor, but she’s not stopping anytime soon. The day after making history at the gymnastics individual finals as part of an all-Black podium Chiles announced her return to the University of California Los Angeles, which of course means her return to their NCAA gymnastics team.
“People always say, ‘You’re going back to college?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I am,’” Chiles tells Teen Vogue. “I have goals for my college career. There’s been so many things that I’ve done, but as a team, I feel like there’s that one thing that I’m missing. I’m going to take it year by year. I’m going to let it flow, see how everything turns out, and enjoy it. And who doesn’t love going to LA? Who doesn’t love waking up to the Hollywood sign?”
Enjoying the moment is something Chiles does well. Our July cover star entered into this cycle of the Olympics focused on being true to herself and letting the rest fall into place. “Qualifications were so fun,” she says. “That was my start to my redemption tour because, obviously, back in Tokyo I did not do so hot in qualifications. Being able to redeem myself and really hit four for four, I was very proud of myself.”
Our U.S. women’s gymnastics team as an entity were out to prove the naysayers wrong. After Chiles, Simone Biles, Suni Lee and Jade Carey all attended the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games and took home the silver team medal, they knew they had more left in them. Lovingly referred to as the “Golden Girls” — because they’re team average age is the oldest ever seen on a U.S. gymnastics team — these four seniors, joined by newcomer 16-year-old Hezly Rivera, went out to compete at the finals chasing that number one spot.
“Team finals were a whole different story,” Chiles says. “Coming home with a gold medal, I think that’s pretty cool to say we did what we needed to do. We redeemed ourselves, so hopefully the world loves us still. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls.”
Chiles put on a show, being a key part of her team’s strength. She also made it to an individual final, something she hadn’t done at the last Olympics. Chiles’s floor routine garnered a ton of attention over the last few years once she began competing at UCLA. Her use of hip-hop and Black artistry in a largely white-dominated sports drew in an audience that only has continued to grow.
“Going into floor, being the last person to go, I’m not going to lie, my heart was beating really, really fast before I even started my floor routine,” Chiles says. “I was like, ‘You know what? Just do you. Do your normal. No matter what happens at the end, you already have accomplished so much within you being in Paris.’ I was happy. I was ready, and I finished my routine. My ankles hurt though, because of that short landing, I did not appreciate it, but I was very proud of myself.”
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