Jordan Chiles Opens Up About Unfair Treatment As A Black Athlete

Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles is shedding light on her experiences with racism in the world of gymnastics.

The 23-year-old athlete, who made headlines after being stripped of her bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, which was ultimately awarded to Romania's Ana Barbosu, is sharing her story in her upcoming memoir, "I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams."

The book, set to be released on March 4 via Harper Influence, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, delves into Jordan Chiles' journey through the sport and the challenges she faced along the way.

In a new interview with PEOPLE, Chiles recalls the moment she realized she was being judged differently.

“The first time that I finally realized that I wasn’t going to be able to be a typical athlete was the judging,” Chiles said. “I’m literally doing almost the exact same thing as any other person, but why am I not getting the same scores?”

Chiles' love for gymnastics began when she was just six years old.

The sport became an outlet for her boundless energy, and her natural talent was evident early on. However, by the time she competed in her first level 4 meet at age seven, she had already begun to notice that her "skin color" affected how judges perceived her.

"Everything was different," she told the magazine. "[Judges] didn’t know what to do with [me] because it was like, ‘She’s talented, yes, but she’s curvy,’ or people would tell me that I ‘look like a man’ or ‘you shouldn’t be here’ or ‘you don’t deserve to be in the sport.’”

In her memoir, Chiles writes about how most elite gymnasts, with the exception of 2008 gold medalist Shawn Johnson, did not look like her. Her physique, which showcased her strength, stood out in a sport that traditionally favored leaner athletes. Growing up, three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes was the only Black gymnast Chiles saw as a role model.

The rise of social media only amplified the negativity. When she finally joined social platforms, Chiles was met with hurtful comments. She recalls thinking, “‘Why are these people telling me all these things when I'm literally doing the exact same thing as everybody else?’” Despite the hurt, she says, “It was definitely something I had to push past.”

Today, Chiles is a junior at UCLA, thriving both academically and athletically as part of the university’s gymnastics team. Embracing life as a college student, she feels grateful for the chance to experience a more typical life away from the intense spotlight.

"A lot of people don't get the opportunity or have the ability to be a student-athlete, and I get to embrace that and enjoy that," Chiles said. "And I continue to strive for greatness every single day. I mean, my team is doing amazing. We're getting better each and every week, and I am honored to be a part of that.”

Through her story, Chiles hopes to inspire young athletes who may be facing similar struggles, proving that resilience and strength can pave the way to success.

In August 2024, Chiles' Beyoncé-inspired performance at the Summer Games initially placed her fourth. However, after Team USA submitted a score inquiry, believing her original score of 13.666 came up short, a review of the footage found she had not received credit for one of her final moves. Her score was adjusted to 13.766, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later claimed the objection came four seconds too late.

For Chiles, the IOC's decision was "really hard to just comprehend." She told Hoda Kotb in a November interview on "Today," “I feel like I recently have been trying to tell myself I've been OK, the past four, five months, and it's honestly been a very, very difficult time. It's hard to tell yourself that everything's going to be fine when you know literally we didn't do anything wrong.”

"Everything was very right," she continued. "Everything was in the time that it needed to be, and for them to come back and say it was four seconds late when we've had proof. We've had everything that really can show that everything was right."