Simone Biles’s name has been in the headlines even more than usual this week, after she pulled out of the gymnastics team finals at the Tokyo Olympics to prioritize her mental health.
“Simone Biles has withdrawn from the team final competition due to a medical issue,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement. “She will be assessed daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions.” Her coach later told NBC: “Physically she is fine. But she is done for the night.”
She has since withdrawn from the vault and uneven bars events. Many people—Michelle Obama among them—have backed up Biles’s decision to take care of herself in the face of immense pressure. One of the loudest voices in that large crowd of supporters is Jordan Chiles, Biles’s 20-year-old teammate and best friend, who stepped in for her in the team all-around competition on Tuesday.
“To my best friend, just thinking about everything we have gone through together from us getting mad at each other for no reason to laughing at jokes, to bringing the love of this sport back to me with your help words can’t explain how proud I am of you,” she wrote in an Instagram post this week. “I LOVE YOU and am literally crying just thinking about everything. WE did this together🥺
-love jo🤞🏾💕”
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It’s obvious that these two have a strong bond, but their friendship goes far beyond this year’s eventful Olympics. Here, everything you should know about these two Olympic athlete, the way they support each other, and a mentorship story for the ages.
Biles is one of the reasons Chiles is still a gymnast.
As Chiles’s mom, Gina Chiles, told The New York Times in June, by 2018, Chiles had checked out from the sport.” When she finished 11th in the all-around at nationals that year, the athlete began to question whether she should stick with her sport.
“I guess this sport is coming to an end for me because things just aren’t working out for me at all whatsoever,” Chiles told the the Times. “I just wanted to finish high school and go off to college. But then I had a talk with Simone.”
Biles proposed an idea to Chiles: She should come to Biles’s gym, World Champions Centre in Texas, to train with her and her coaches, Cecile and Laurent Landi. That’s exactly what Chiles did. Through spending time with and observing Biles, Chiles began to find the joy in gymnastics again.
“I discovered that gymnastics doesn’t always have to be about strictness and being so hard on yourself and having so much doubt,” she told the Today show. “I actually realized this when I saw Simone compete. She looks like she’s having fun out there, laughing and giggling, and doesn’t look stressed or tired. I was like, ‘You know, I’m going to try that one of these days and see how it turns out.’”
Their friendship grew from there.
“You always have that one person that can change your whole life….. and this my friend is you🥺,” Chiles wrote of her teammate in late June, after U.S. Olympic Team Trials in St. Louis.
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This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Chiles is by her friend’s side as she navigates this Olympics.
While the whole world keeps its eyes on Biles, Chiles has remained a steady support of her friend. While Biles enthusiastically cheers on her teammates from the stands, you’ll never see Chiles too far from her side.
Chiles told Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie about how she supported her friend during her trying week in Tokyo:
“I was there for her, I supported her, I did try to tell her, ‘Look, you know how to do everything, this is you, this is your moment, it’s all up to you,’” Chiles said on July 28.
“I really can’t say a lot because she has to tell her own story, but all I know is I’m going to support her no matter what. I am her teammate, I am her best friend, like she said. This is the moment that I think that I truly realize that I’ve gotten so much closer to her than I really thought. She’s my ride or die. I will forever be by her side.”
Hilary Weaver
Hilary Weaver is a freelance writer based in New York who writes about politics, queer issues, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, and every woman the Queen has ever made a dame.
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