U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles is heading to the Olympics for the second time in her career and she could not be more thrilled.
A member of the team that won gold at the 2022 World Championships and silver in the team event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Chiles says she has nothing to prove but the competitive itch is clearly still there.
After Tokyo 2020, Chiles told her parents she was probably done with elite gymnastics and she threw herself into college life at UCLA where had been awarded a scholarship.
But the chance to go one better and win team gold drew Chiles back for a second crack at Olympic glory, and after a third-place finish at the Olympic team trials in July, the 23-year-old, whose nickname is 'Chick', will head to France as part of the oldest women's gymnastics team the U.S. has ever sent to the Games, competing alongside Simone Biles (27), Jade Carey (24), Sunisa Lee (21), and newcomer Hezly Rivera (16).
"Gymnastics doesn't define who I am," said Chiles, who will go to Paris with an older and wiser perspective, adding that she looks to team-mate Biles for inspiration beyond the sport.
"She's an outgoing, understanding, encouraging friend, also a big sister. She definitely is the definition of defining who she is," enthused Chiles.
