Olympian Jordan Chiles says goodbye to her UCLA gym era and welcomes future possibilities

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles is preparing for her final home meet with UCLA on Saturday. Her sights are set far beyond that.

Chiles, who earned her first perfect 10 on vault in January, started gymnastics at the age of six. She says she recognized her talent immediately, but it wasn’t until she was 13 that she started envisioning a career in the sport and dreaming of going to the Olympics.

“Every time that I did go into the gym, it was really like, OK, this is your priority. You’re dedicated to this,” Chiles said.

She fulfilled that dream in 2021, making her Olympic debut at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games. She returned in 2024 for the Paris Olympics, where her Beyoncé-inspired floor routine captured the attention of many around the globe, including the global singing superstar herself, who sent Chiles a framed vinyl of her “Cowboy Carter” album.

“That just made me realize, like, I am being seen out of my own industry,” the 24-year-old said. “It means a lot because, as an athlete, you never know what happens, because we’re always in this small bubble and we never can really see what’s on the outside of that bubble.”

Chiles was initially awarded a bronze medal for the routine; however, it was later revoked by a ruling that moved Romania’s Ana Barbosu to third place. The dispute headed back to the Swiss court earlier this year after Switzerland’s supreme court said its judges sent the “highly exceptional circumstances” of the bronze medal awarded in the women’s floor exercise back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to examine new evidence. This may allow Chiles to reclaim the medal.

Chiles and Barbosu faced off again last weekend at an NCAA meet. As Barbosu performed her floor routine, Chiles could be seen in the background cheering and following some of Barbosu’s choreography.

Her support for Barbosu boiled down to one thing - sportsmanship.

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“Ana is a remarkable gymnast, and I’m not going to take that away from her,” Chiles said. “At the end of the day, we support each other. Sportsmanship is the biggest thing in the sport, and showing that and showcasing that, that’s what I wanted.”

Chiles tearfully says she will remember the memories she shares with each of her UCLA teammates and coaches as she heads into her final meet.

Following this era, she is focusing on her SHERO Athlete Collective, a mentorship program for female athletes. She also wants to enter the acting and fashion realms and, her biggest dream of all, attend the Met Gala. She’s not dreaming up any looks yet, but she’s ready to walk the grand staircase when the opportunity presents itself.