Jordan Chiles almost quit gymnastics over racism — now she's vying for Olympic gold

As Chiles looks ahead to the 2024 Olympics in pursuit of success, she’s leaning into inspiring the younger generation to do as she did.

When U.S. Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles was 17, one of her former coaches called her “double head,” because, as she recalled, her “hair was too big.” Someone also questioned whether she was her mother’s daughter because of her darker skin.

Those common occurrences — and an overall lack of diversity within amateur gymnastics — caused Chiles to contemplate leaving the sport she loved.  

“I wanted to be done, because I didn’t think ... the sport wanted me,” Chiles said on NBC’s “My New Favorite Olympian” podcast. “I didn’t think people around me wanted to see this beautiful Black girl in a [leotard] anymore.”

But Chiles chose to persevere. Instead of quitting, she continued embracing her true self and embarked on a journey of empowering women of color.

In 2018, Chiles teamed up with Brown Girls Do Gymnastics, a nonprofit organization that aims to increase access to the sport for people of color. According to NCAA data from last year, just 8% of female NCAA gymnasts are Black and just 7% of gymnastics head coaches are Black. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/jordan-chiles-olympics-rcna157116

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