A few years ago, Jordan Chiles was close to quitting the sport she’d loved since she was a child. That is, until her best friend — and fellow gold medal-winning Team USA gymnast — Simone Biles talked her into staying, the Olympian told Power Women Summit attendees Tuesday morning in her Keynote Speech.
“In 2018, I was struggling mentally, physically, emotionally, and I began to doubt if this work still had a place for me. The weight of expectations, the fear of failure, the pressure of being perfect, and the hurt caused by being overlooked made me question everything,” Chiles said. “I learned that the system wasn’t built for people who looked or even acted like me. For so long, I was told that in order to achieve my dream, I had to fit into a space that felt unnatural.”
The athlete further explained, “It was my best friend Simone who gave me hope and a new path to my dream when I was about to give it up.”
As the Olympic keynote speaker told Elle earlier this year, “Every single time I went into a competition, I was like, ‘Well, what are they going to say this time?’ I was racially attacked. I was always told, ‘You’re not the typical gymnast. You look like a man. You’re too muscular.’”
Speaking on the Summit’s theme of “Aspire,” Chiles added, “The journey from aspiration to reality is never a straight line. My career has been defined, not only by the time I soared, but by the time I experienced deep hurt and disappointment and then chose to rise again.”
She also praised “women who refused to accept limits, who showed us that not only do we belong in these spaces, but we can thrive and redefine them.” And Chiles called out her doubters, who questioned her childhood goal to one day “stand on the podium with a gold medal around my neck.”
“News flash for the people who said that would never happen, I think gold definitely is my color,” Chiles beamed as the audience laughed.
Chiles was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as well as the silver medal-winning team at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. A bronze individual medal that was awarded to her in the 2024 Olympics for her floor exercise was, controversially, revoked by an arbitration court, and given to Romanian Ana Bărbosu instead.
“I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey,” Chiles said in a statement at the time. “To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful.”
At the Power Women Summit, she said that competing often took a heavy toll on her mental and physical well-being, adding, “I learned that I would have to change the culture and rebuild what society believed was acceptable.”
“But each time I’ve been knocked out, I found a way to stand back up, wipe the tears and go again, not just for myself, but for every little Black girl watching me, for every child dreaming big and waiting to see someone who looks like them rise above the noise and success,” Chiles continued. “My journey is our open door.”
TheWrap’s Power Women Summit is the essential gathering of the most influential women across entertainment and media. The event aims to inspire and empower women across the landscape of their professional careers and personal lives. With the theme, “Aspire,” this year’s PWS provides one day of keynotes, panels, workshops and networking. For more information visit thewrap.com/pws. For all of TheWrap’s Power Women Summit 2024 coverage, click here.
