Behind every great player is a great coach. Track fans throw around this term a lot. But while this might be true for the likes of Sydney McLaughlin and Julien Alfred, for Jordan Chiles, it is anything but that. In one of the many examples of bad coaching, Chiles, an Olympic hopeful since forever, nearly had her entire career torn apart. But what really happened? Well, the Mat sensation has finally decided to let her fans know the reality after all these years in her recently released book.
Chiles has previously spoken about Coach X on numerous occasions. Narrating her story of trauma, the 23-year-old stated how she was being body-shamed. Chiles was called fat when she did not even have an extra ounce of fat as an athlete! Coach X also made her restrict to a significantly low-calorie diet. This affected Chiles mentally, and she succumbed to an eating disorder.
Well, as if all these were not enough, Coach X also made Chiles believe that she was her only hope to make it big in gymnastics! But after a certain moment, Chile’s rebellious attitude took over. In her recently released book, I’m That Girl: Loving the Power of My Dreams, Chiles opined how she and her family felt helpless. Unfortunately, there were some serious issues with Coach X. And after years of tolerating the mess, Chile finally gathered the courage to stand up against the wrongdoings.
Detailing the extent of her frustrations, Chiles said, “And so I started rebelling. Over time, I became more distant and angry. I got to where I couldn’t stand to be near Coach X, preferring vault and bars, the events that Dimitri coached, over floor and beam, which Coach X coached me in.” This did not sit well with Coach X, as she started to call her by name. Coach X even called up her parents and lashed out about how Chiles had an attitude problem!
“My parents could see I was under a lot of pressure. But I didn’t tell them the full extent of Coach X’s extreme behavior,” Chiles said. Despite Gina and Timothy Chiles realizing their daughter’s zeal fading away, they could not say no. Her Coach X, allegedly revealed that without her, Chiles would be “nowhere.” She allegedly had drinking problems and often behaved inappropriately in public places.
“When we traveled for meets, she was often the only adult chaperone, but she’d show up to the airport acting weird and smelling funny, then rush to the bar as soon as we got through security,” said Chiles. The Olympian stated that Coach X was never a soft-spoken and empathetic person. However, she became all the more harsh after drinking. All this continued oppression had a serious effect on her mental health. So much so that Chiles even had suicidal tendencies.
How Coach X’s abuse pushed Jordan Chiles to the brink
The 23-year-old, known for her infectious energy and unwavering support for her teammates, revealed that beneath her bright smile was a silent battle that nearly consumed her. Chiles opened up about the emotional toll in her book I’m That Girl: Loving the Power of My Dreams, where she detailed the relentless verbal abuse she endured. “Stinkerbell, you’re lazy,” Coach X would sneer, crushing the young gymnast’s confidence with every harsh word.
The mental strain mounted until it became unbearable. “I wanted to get it off my chest. I wanted to let people know that I had really, really down times,” Chiles confessed to People in February. The constant pressure and demeaning treatment led to a dangerous spiral. Jordan Chiles was grappling with suicidal thoughts! Her parents, Gina and Timothy Chiles, watched helplessly as their daughter’s joy faded.
They could see the weight their daughter was carrying. But they felt powerless to intervene. The illusion that they couldn’t step in only deepened their frustration. When Chiles failed to make the Senior World Team in 2018, it seemed like her world was collapsing. Years of mental strain under Coach X threatened to shatter her completely.
And just when she needed it most, Simone Biles stepped in. More than just advice, Biles extended an escape. What? A spot at the World Champions Centre, where Chiles could finally rediscover her love for the sport. That finally turned out to be the lifeline that pulled her back from the edge, proving that even in her darkest moments, Chiles wasn’t truly alone.
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