Jordan Chiles’ fantastic gymnastics career has been a little bit of everything. And no, we are not talking about her off-form on the mat. Sadly, the 23-year-old has had quite a few rough moments off the mat. Things like racism! Being a gymnast of color, Chiles had to face some serious consequences. Some hit harder than the others because they come from close quarters.
Shockingly, even before transitioning to her gymnastics career, Jordan Chiles got the taste of racism early on in her life. The Olympic gold medalist appeared in a recent interview with ESPN to discuss her recent memoir, I’m That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams. Although her mother, Gina Chiles, guarded her daughter from much of the racist onslaught by taking charge of her social media, some episodes were unavoidable. Allegedly, one of Chiles’ coaches had cut off her braids without her permission!
Continuing with her interview, the host asked Chiles about the incident’s authenticity. We wish it weren’t true, but Chiles confirmed that it in fact, was the truth! “Yeah she she cut my braids off um without my permission, and it was something that you know I didn’t understand at first until my mom had to explain to me when I got back home from that trip, and it was very devastating to hear and understand that you know,” said the star gymnast. She further stated that still having to deal with the trauma, the Olympic gold medalist did not want anybody to go through anything even remotely similar. Obviously, talking about her experiences can enable others to speak up as well, but there’s another reason why the 23-year-old decided to write her memoir!
“I wanted people to know that this is my story” Through her book and her very own words, Jordan Chiles is taking charge of how people think about her. Although some parts of her life were amazing and full of fun, others were quite devastating, “I just felt like now was the right time to finally tell my story, in my own words..” and so she did!
From being traumatized by her Coach X, to dealing with eating disorders, Chiles poured out her heart in the memoir. Her mental health suffered so much that Chiles even had suicidal thoughts cross her mind! However, in a development no one saw coming, certain factual inaccuracies have led to Chiles receiving some serious backlash.
Jordan Chiles faces backlash over factual inaccuracies in gymnastics memoir
Jordan Chiles’ memoir, I’m That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams, has come under fire. Recently, several readers have pointed out significant factual inaccuracies. What was meant to be an inspiring account of her gymnastics journey has now turned into a hotbed of controversy, with critics highlighting several inaccuracies in her recounting of key events.
One of the most glaring factual inaccuracy involves a 2013 controversy between Simone Biles and Italian gymnast Carlotta Ferlito. Chiles incorrectly stated that the incident occurred in 2016 and even claimed that Ferlito qualified for the 2016 beam finals. A detail that never actually happened. A Reddit post dissecting the memoir stated, “The incident happened in 2013, and Ferlito never made it to the beam final in 2016.” An NBC sports report further reinforced how the incident dates back to the 2013 World Championships where Biles placed third in the beam event and Ferlito occupied the fifth position. This inaccuracy has left readers questioning the accuracy of other details in the book.
Chiles also alleged that she was tested three times in a single month by the USADA due to misogynoir. However, as per USADA data, Biles was tested 4 times in the second quarter of 2021! So, Jordan Chiles wasn’t the only one being subject to frequent testing by USADA. Athletes most likely to make it to the Olympics usually have to deal with testing at shorter intervals. Further scrutiny arose over Chiles’ claim that Valerie Liukin discouraged her from competing on vault at the 2017 World Championships. The Reddit post countered, “Liukin was only suggesting the right path to a world championship gold.” The Reddit post’s claim was backed by a report by thegymter.net, which also stated that even though Jordan Chiles was doing better in the vault event than the rest, she still needed some time to polish a Lopez, and following the competition, the 23-year-old herself admitted, “<a Lopez> wasn’t ready by the time the selection camp came around.” There was yet another factual inaccuracy that put the gymnast in a tough spot.
The memoir’s statement that Nadia Comaneci and Camelia Voinea were teammates, was also challenged by the Reddit user who stated that Comaneci last competed in 1981 while Voinea debuted in 1984 — wagymnastics.fandom.com has also backed these dates, further casting doubt over the accuracy of the facts the memoir contains. As more inconsistencies come to light, readers have voiced their disappointment, leaving Chiles to face mounting pressure to clarify or amend the inaccuracies in her memoir.
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