Big Fours - Source: Getty — Jordan Chiles at the Big Fours - (Source: Getty)

"It was lost for a while" - Heartbroken after losing Olympic bronze medal, Jordan Chiles opens up on scoring first perfect 10 at Big Ten Championships

Modified Apr 01, 2025 04:33 GMT

Jordan Chiles shared that gymnastics was lost from her system for a while, but her recent performance helped her realize that she still has potential. Chiles returned to the mat six months after performing on the Gold Over America tour and posted a perfect score on the floor routine at the Big Ten Championships.

Chiles was heartbroken after her Olympic bronze was stripped off her after the Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed to the CAS to re-examine Team USA's inquiry from the Paris Games floor finals. After the bronze was returned to the initial medal winner, Ana Barbosu, Chiles resorted to the Swiss Federal Court to earn back her only individual Olympic medal.

Amid this ordeal, the two-time Olympian announced her decision to return to the UCLA program she put on hold after the 2023 season. Since February 2025, she has performed in the NCAA regular season, racking perfect scores in the build-up to the Big Ten Championships.

On March 22, the 23-year-old displayed a stunning floor routine with smooth landings, earning a perfect score to lead the Bruins to the Big Ten title. While it was a monumental achievement for the team, the feat made Jordan Chiles realize she still has potential.

"My team was there supporting me. My coaches were there supporting me. Everybody in that arena was there supporting me. I was like, this is what it's like to compete. I finally could feel that again. It was lost for a while. It made me feel like, I still have it in me. I can push forward and let everything behind me be finally laid to rest," she said (via ESPN).

Chiles released her debut memoir, I'm That Girl: Power of My Dreams, last month, which eventually became a New York Times bestseller.

Jordan Chiles made her feelings known about the pre-game rituals she follows

Chiles praying before the Big Fours - (Source: Getty)

Jordan Chiles has been vocal about her faith since her early gymnastics days. In an interview with the Big Ten Network, Chiles shared that she makes sure to pray before her gymnastic meets even though she doesn't follow any particular routine.

"No. I think just the biggest thing is I pray before every competition with my family," she said.

Jordan Chiles was on song at the 2023 NCAA Championships, winning the floor and uneven bars and taking silver in the all-around event. She also boasts two Pac-12 titles from collegiate competitions. Chiles continued her prowess on the World Championships stage, clinching gold in the team and silver medals in the vault and floor exercise.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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