Jordan Chiles is reflecting on the sophisticated mixture of feelings she felt when she narrowly missed her shot at a person all-around medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the course of the qualifying spherical, the gymnast, 23, completed in fourth place with a rating of 56.065, simply .067 factors behind her U.S. teammate Suni Lee, who earned a rating of 56.132. Simone Biles got here in first place with a rating of 59.566. The one non-U.S. athlete to rank increased than Chiles and Lee was Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who logged a 57.700.
Regardless of ending in third place for the U.S. and fourth total, Chiles didn’t safe a spot within the all-around ultimate as a result of Olympic rule that solely two athletes from every nation can compete.
In an unique interview with PEOPLE to advertise her new memoir I am That Lady: Dwelling the Energy of My Goals, Chiles recalled feeling each disillusioned for herself and joyful for Lee, 21, in that second.
Tom Weller/VOIGT/Getty
“These are emotions,” she says. “Everyone has emotions and all people goes via lots with regards to being shy of one thing, proper? You are in a job interview and you are feeling such as you did probably the most superb factor, and it may be that one little factor that may make you shy of getting your job interview, your job on the whole.”
“So I feel having these feelings is regular,” Chiles continues. “I needed to navigate them. I had to determine what’s subsequent. I had an entire crew ultimate, and I needed to go and assist them for all-around and all these issues.”
Whereas she was excited to cheer on Lee — and Biles, 27 — Chiles says she nonetheless discovered herself questioning if there was one thing extra she might have achieved in her coaching or efficiency to make the reduce. “It was troublesome to know that I used to be that shy of being within the all-around. I did assume, ‘What else have I achieved? May I’ve achieved one thing completely different right here?’ There have been loads of issues that had been going via my head.”
By no means miss a narrative — join PEOPLE’s free every day e-newsletter to remain up-to-date on the very best of what PEOPLE has to supply, from movie star information to driving human curiosity tales.
As for Lee, Chiles says there have been completely no onerous emotions between the pair.
Christina Pahnke – sampics/Getty
“I used to be simply very pleased with her. Suni had gone via lots. She had problems along with her well being, and seeing her be capable of come again and attempt and be on that crew simply on the whole and making one other all-around is simply superb. That is dedication. That is one thing that is very heartfelt,” she explains. “And so I could not be mad.”
She provides: “You could be very, very joyful for someone, however you may also be unhappy on the identical time as a result of, once more, these are feelings and all people has feelings.”
Chiles skilled one other main disappointment ultimately 12 months’s Summer time Olympics when she was stripped of her bronze medal within the gymnastics flooring ultimate. Instantly after her routine ended, Chiles’ coach efficiently challenged the judges’ scoring choice, bumping her as much as a bronze-medal end behind Brazilian gold medalist Andrade and Biles, who clinched silver.
Nonetheless, it was later decided that Romanian competitor Ana Barbosu ought to be awarded the bronze after the game’s governing board dominated that the inquiry into Chiles’ rating had been submitted too late.
Since then, Chiles has continued to struggle the controversial medal choice. When requested in regards to the standing of her enchantment, she tells PEOPLE her authorized crew is “nonetheless engaged on dealing with that.”
Naomi Baker/Getty
Whereas Chiles has stood on the Olympics medal podium twice — for Crew USA’s silver within the crew ultimate in 2020 and gold within the 2024 crew ultimate — the gymnast says she continues to be hungry for a person medal. “In fact a person medal is one thing that lots of people need. On the finish of the day, whenever you make an occasion ultimate, that is what your predominant aim is. And that’s one thing I proceed to attempt for,” she notes.
That also-to-be-chased aim, she insists, takes nothing away from the super pleasure she felt in standing alongside her teammates following their triumph within the crew ultimate in Paris.
“That was a history-making podium, and I am simply very proud that I used to be part of that,” Chiles tells PEOPLE. “And now that individuals can look into historical past books and be like, ‘This was a historical past second,’ and I can proceed to shine and be my greatest model of myself.”
I am That Lady: Dwelling the Energy of My Goals will probably be out there on March 4 wherever books are bought.
