Jordan Chiles knew her friend was hurting. It was July 28, 2021, and while America was waking up to the shocking news that Simone Biles was withdrawing from the gymnastics all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics, Chiles could only think about 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 anybody else.”
It’s no secret what happened next, and that’s precisely the point – instead of retreating from the spotlight, Biles openly shared her struggles with mental health, putting the issue front and center as one of the greatest athletes not only of her sport, but arguably of all time.
“Everybody’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 for it, but I’ll support (anyone’s) mental health journey.”
“Now people come up to me and they’re like, ‘I’ve been 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 I’m helping people out there.”
Chiles, a two-time Olympian in Tokyo and Paris, was quick to point out that she’s benefited directly from Biles’ example. The two were speaking during their recent Gold Over America Tour, which celebrated the successes of Team USA’s gymnasts.
“Being in that position that she was in during that time frame and her being vulnerable, it just made it even better for, not just me, but everybody around us. (And) not just in our sport, but (for) people in general,” Chiles said.
“And having somebody like her, whether people see it or don’t see it – and I’ve been behind the scenes of what she’s gone through – it’s definitely cool to finally see that people are understanding where she’s coming from, not just as an athlete, but also as a human.”
Lessons from the mat
Biles, now 27, began gymnastics at the age of six. Eleven Olympic 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.
Chiles, 23, picked up on that willingness to embrace vulnerability, and has worked to emulate it in her own life. “When I was younger, I did not want help from anybody,” said Chiles, who will return to UCLA next year as a collegiate gymnast after winning the team all-around gold alongside Biles at the Paris Olympics.
She says she’s also learned the importance of “standing your ground.”
It’s about “understanding that my story is my story,” Chiles said. “I’m the one who’s writing it and I didn’t learn to stand my ground until I met her (Biles).”
It’s a lesson Chiles says has become all the more important over the last few months, as her team is working to overturn a decision that took away her bronze medal in the individual floor event in Paris.
“Things can be really, really hard in your life and things may be stripped from you and you’re going to have to deal with that, and understand that you need to fight for what you’re fighting for,” she added. “And that’s something that I’ve learned as well in the past three or four months just coming off of Paris.”
“Just me being me”
In a sport where female athletes once “peaked at (age) 16,” Biles said, having her still competing at the Olympics is a sign of progress in gymnastics. It also allows younger gymnasts, like Team USA’s Hezly Rivera, who was 16 during 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 she’s there for a “helping hand … little pep talks … making them laugh, cheer(ing) them up, whatever they need – I’m there.”
Chiles again credited Biles for inspiring her own leadership style.
“That’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 we’ve got color in our hair, and it’s really breaking the mold and knowing that it doesn’t matter your background, where you come from, we’re all capable of achieving amazing things.”