Gymnast Jordan Chiles reflects on winning individual bronze medal at 2024 Paris Games: "It was a surreal moment"
Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles won her first ever individual medal at the Paris Games. The 23-year-old was bumped up to bronze from fifth place in the floor final after judges reviewed her difficulty score.
"There were so many emotions going through my body in that moment," Chiles said in an interview with "CBS Mornings," adding that no matter what happened in the final, she was proud of herself.
"It was a surreal moment … I saw the score change and I was just like 'What is going on? Is this real? Is this happening?' I was just, again, in that moment just very happy and obviously happy for the other athletes as well."
In the event, Chiles made history as part of the first all-Black Olympic gymnastics podium, alongside teammate Simone Biles, who won silver, and Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade, who won gold.
The Americans honored their competitor by bowing to Andrade when she received her gold medal.
"I felt like when somebody who has done amazing things individually and also through her country, she's done magnificent through her sport, so I felt like in that moment she was the really only person who had a perfect floor routine. It was well-deserved."
Chiles said she's thankful for her friendship with Biles, whom she's trained alongside. It's their second Olympic Games together, as they competed at the Tokyo Games. Biles, who walked away from Paris with four more medals and a career total of 11 Olympic medals, also competed in Rio in 2016.
"I couldn't be more proud of her. She's encouraged me. She's had such a huge inspiration on me," Chiles said of Biles.
And just as Biles has inspired her, Chiles is encouraging others to go after their dreams.
"Always just be authentic to who you are. Don't let anybody control what you're doing. It's your book. You're writing your own chapters, and kind of just pave a way for what you want your future to look like."
Chiles also won a gold medal in the women's team final, completing their "redemption tour" after the team won silver in Tokyo. But this isn't the end of her gymnastics career. She plans to return to UCLA and compete for the Bruins.
"I plan to go back to school and enjoy the college experience."
Team USA gymnastics has won a total of 10 medals at the Paris Olympics.