"It gets me into that little sassy mood" - Jordan Chiles shares the meaning behind her mantra of 'I'm that girl'

By Puneet Tripathi

Modified Jul 18, 2024 12:22 GMT

Jordan Chiles recently shared her thoughts in an interview with Aly Raisman about her mantra, "I'm that girl," a phrase she got from a Beyonce song. The highly decorated gymnast also told Raisman how being in a "sassy mood" helps her prepare for the games.

Chiles debuted for Team USA at the 2020 Olympics, winning a silver medal. The 23-year-old UCLA gymnast shared that her dream had been just to make it to the Olympic Games which she did in Tokyo in 2021. When she qualified for her second Olympics, the upcoming 2024 Paris Games, she revealed that it was a tremendous boost for her self-confidence.

Aly Raisman further asked Chiles what 'I am that girl' means. Chiles responded that it is a Beyoncé reference. The fellow Olympian told Raisman that she loves the story of Beyoncé's childhood and that it inspires her to excel in life, just like Beyonce excelled in her life at a young age.

"So 'I'm that girl' actually came from a Beyoncé song. I recently went to her show that she had in Houston, and then I went to go watch the documentary, and it just inspired me a lot, because, you know, a lot of people take for granted who Beyoncé is, and for her, her childhood was crazy, and she became this childhood star like 'Beyoncé' at such a young age," Chiles said.

The UCLA gymnast added that the "I'm that girl" mantra activates her "sassy mood." According to Chiles, athletes who become well-known overnight frequently face difficult obstacles as they often lack the expertise to manage their attention until they are older. She explained that it's more like an affirmation of one's position after one's success.

"It's more of me being able to look into the mirror and be like, okay, like, you're waking up; you're that girl. Let's go out there and do everything you need to do. So that's how I feel going out onto the competition floor. And I feel it gets me into that... a little, like, okay, a sassy mood. You know, you're that girl. Like, let's go out there," she added.

Chiles has competed for the women's national gymnastics team of the United States since 2013. Now that the gymnast is representing the USA in the Olympics for the second time, it is an opportunity for her to put the show on the stage once again.

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Jordan Chiles' clutch performance in the Tokyo Olympics

When Simone Biles pulled out from the finals of the Tokyo Olympics, suffering a mental block known as “twisties,” it led to her immediate replacement by Jordan Chiles. Twisties is a mental condition in which a gymnast temporarily loses adequate spatial awareness and kinesthetic intelligence.

Jordan Chiles(L) with Simone Biles(R) at Tokyo Olympics 2020 (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

During this critical moment, Jordan Chiles demonstrated remarkable skill with an incredible performance, earning the high scores in vault (14.666) and uneven bars (14.166) that contributed to Team USA’s silver medal victory. Jordan Chiles' efforts were not only about scores but also showcased her ability to perform under pressure which made her a standout athlete at the Tokyo Olympics.

After the Games, Chiles reflected on her experience, expressing gratitude toward Biles for the opportunity to perform in the Olympics and acknowledging the significant impact Biles had on her career. The encounter marked a turning point in Chiles’ athletic journey, opening new avenues leading up to the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.