Time Magazine is honoring 13 incredible women for their leadership and commitment to equality with the 2025 TIME Women of the Year list. Two athletes are on the list of inspiring women: WNBA MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist, A’ja Wilson, and USA gymnast and Olympic gold medalist, Jordan Chiles.
There are three covers for the magazine issue, one featuring Wilson, one featuring actress Nicole Kidman and one featuring Chiles. The TIME Women of the Year Gala is scheduled for February 25, with Chiles set to be honored. This is the perfect time to feature her.
The past year has included extreme highs and devastating lows for Chiles. She earned a spot on the Olympic team for the second time. She contributed to the U.S. women’s gymnastics team winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics following the silver medal finish she was a part of in Tokyo. Official records say that Chiles finished fifth in the women’s floor exercise final. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
How Jordan Chiles rewrote the narrative through perseverance following heartbreak
If you followed women’s gymnastics during the 2024 Olympics, or even if you didn’t, you know the controversy that surrounded what was once a bronze medal finish on floor exercise for Chiles. While her original score landed her in fifth place, Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi, submitted an inquiry. The judges had failed to credit Chiles for a split leap in her routine. The inquiry was accepted, Chiles’ score changed and she was awarded the bronze medal.
Pure joy. Chiles earned her first individual Olympic medal. Chiles and Simone Biles bowed to gold medal winner Rebeca Andrade in a display of sportsmanship during the medal ceremony. The special moment went viral. It was the first all-Black podium in Olympic gymnastics.
Heartbreak. The Court of Arbitration for Sport later ruled that Chiles’ coach’s inquiry came too late. Her original score was reinstated, and she was stripped of her bronze. USA Gymnastics submitted evidence to argue that the inquiry was made in time, but the CAS would not reconsider. Chiles was left devastated. She faced online criticism and racism in a flurry of cruel online comments following the Olympics.
Perseverance. Chiles has fought to have her medal reinstated. She appealed to the Swiss Federal Tribunal. USAG filed an appeal, as well. The battle is ongoing. Throughout it all, she has refused to allow others to define her self-worth. She fought back and rebuilt. Her confidence and her love for gymnastics prevail. She wrote a memoir, I’m That Girl, which will be released in March.
Reclaiming joy. Chiles returned to NCAA gymnastics at UCLA to continue her collegiate career. Being back on the competition floor with her UCLA team has helped Chiles push through the tough times and enjoy her sport again. Recently, she posted on Instagram that UCLA made her re-love competing. Chiles wrote, “it’s been 6 months, and I finally found the joy again.”
Time Magazine got it right. Chiles embodies what it means to be a Woman of the Year. From joy to heartbreak to perseverance and back to joy, she has been through a lot since last summer. It’s how she’s handled both success and disappointment that make her a Woman of the Year.
Jordan Chiles is an inspiration, no matter what the official records say about the women’s floor exercise final at the 2024 Olympics. They took away her bronze, but they couldn’t keep her joy. That’s all hers.