How Simone Biles kicked down the door for Team USA Olympians to discuss mental health

Jordan Chiles is often, what the kids say, “a mood.” Her personality is evident in her gymnastics and everything she does around it. Moments after she made her second Olympic squad following U.S. gymnastics trials in June, Chiles was asked how she is able to “bring her whole self” to gymnastics. She gestured to her friend and teammate who stood feet away.

“I honestly think it’s because of this one right here,” Chiles said, pointing to Simone Biles, who was recording all of it for her personal iPhone archives. “She has honestly put me in a position to understand what it’s like to be an athlete in your sport and also a person as well … I give thanks to this one right here (Biles), because I wouldn’t be in this position right now.”

In a matter of four minutes in this post-trials interview, Chiles was the second member of the team to display relatable vulnerability. Reigning all-around Olympic champion Suni Lee broke down as she addressed the crowd inside Target Center. Lee was diagnosed with a kidney disease that ended her college career at Auburn and cast doubt over making it to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“A year ago, I didn’t even think this was p-,” Lee said, unable to complete the sentence. She sobbed. She composed herself and finished her thought. A raucous applause for the local hero followed.

For Chiles, the death of her grandfather and aunt in 2023 has been an emotional weight in the journey to her second Games.

On the biggest stage before Paris, neither of Biles’ teammates shied away from peeling back the curtain of their mental state. Their stories were their armor.

In Chiles’ own words: “Because of this one.”

Because of Biles

Three years removed from the “twisties” that impacted her Tokyo performance, Biles has championed mental health to the point of calling her weekly therapy sessions “religious.”