by Jordan Chiles knew her friend was suffering. It was July 28, 2021, and as America woke up to the shocking news of Simone Biles’ withdrawal from the gymnastics all-around at the Tokyo Olympics, Chiles could only think how devastated her teammate must be.
“She’s not a quitter,” Chiles told CNN in Tokyo at the time. “But… she knows her body more than anyone.”
What happened next is no secret, and that’s precisely the point — instead of retreating from the spotlight, Biles openly shared her struggles with mental health, bringing the issue to the forefront as as one of the greatest athletes not only in her sport, but arguably of all time.
“Everyone’s mental health journey is unique,” Biles told CNN’s Coy Wire during a recent interview alongside Chiles in Los Angeles. “I’m not the poster child, but I will support (anyone’s) mental health journey.”
“Now people come up to me and say, ‘I’m in therapy for the first time in my life, and thank you so much,'” Biles added. “There’s power in that. And I just know that I’m helping people.
Chiles, a two-time Olympian in Tokyo and Paris, was quick to point out that she had directly benefited from Biles’ example. The two were speaking during their recent Gold Over America tour, which celebrated the successes of Team USA gymnasts.
Jordan Chiles, with Simone Biles behind her, watches the competition during the women’s team gymnastics final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. -Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Three years earlier, Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles attended the same event in July 2021, at the Tokyo Olympics. -Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
No stranger to the spotlight, Simone Biles has used her platform to speak openly about mental health. -Dan Mullan/Getty Images
“Being in the position she was in during that time and being vulnerable, it made it even better, not just for me, but for everyone around us. (And) not just in our sport, but (for) people in general,” Chiles said.
“And to have someone like her, whether people see it or not – and I’ve been behind the scenes of what she went through – it’s really cool to finally see that people understand where she’s coming from , not just like her. as an athlete, but also as a human.
Lessons from the mat
Biles, now 27, started gymnastics at the age of six. Eleven Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals later, if there’s one thing the most decorated gymnast of all time could tell her younger self, Biles said, it would be to “ask for help “.
“There is beauty in being vulnerable,” she added.
Simone Biles rises above the balance beam during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. -Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Chiles, 23, understood this willingness to embrace vulnerability and worked to emulate it in her own life. “When I was younger, I didn’t want anyone’s help,” said Chiles, who will return to UCLA next year as a collegiate gymnast after winning team all-around gold alongside of Biles at the Paris Olympic Games.
She says she also learned the importance of “hanging in there.”
It’s about “understanding that my story is my story,” Chiles said. “I’m the one writing it and I didn’t learn to hold on until I met her (Biles).”
It’s a lesson that Chiles says has become all the more important in recent months as his team works to reverse a decision that stripped him of the bronze medal in the individual floor event. in Paris.
“Things can be really, really difficult in your life and things can be taken away from you and you’re going to have to deal with it and understand that you have to fight for what you’re fighting for,” she added. “And that’s something I’ve also learned over the last three or four months coming out of Paris.”
“Just me being me”
In a sport where female athletes “once reached their peak at (16),” Biles said, seeing her still compete in the Olympics is a sign of progress in gymnastics. It also allows young gymnasts, like Team USA’s Hezly Rivera, who was 16 at this year’s Paris Games, to learn from Biles.
“I’ve been in these girls’ shoes before,” Biles said, “so I know exactly what they’re going through,” adding that she’s there for a “helping hand… little pep talks… making them laugh, encouraging them) them, whatever they need – I’m there.
Chiles again praised Biles for inspiring his own leadership style.
Jordan Chiles, pictured during her floor exercise routine during the qualifying round at the Paris 2024 Olympics, says she learned from teammate Simone Biles the importance of “hanging in there.” -Jamie Squire/Getty Images
“It’s just me being me. And I want the younger generation to understand that it’s okay to be yourself when it comes to anything in life,” Chiles said. “But I didn’t learn that until it came from her. She taught me that. »
“We’ve broken so many barriers in this sport,” Biles added. “We have extensions and color in our hair, and it really breaks the mold and knowing that no matter what background we are, where we come from, we are all capable of achieving amazing things.”
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