A memoir by Jordan Chiles is officially forthcoming.
The 23-year-old Olympic gymnast has announced she’s gearing up to publish “I’m That Girl” in the spring of 2025 through Harper Influence, an imprint of HarperCollins. It will include a foreword by fellow Olympic gymnast Simone Biles.
According to People magazine, the memoir will chronicle Chiles’ Olympic gymnast career, which began when she joined Team USA at the junior level in 2013 at the age of 11.
In the memoir, she reportedly discusses the “psychologically and physically demanding” realities of her sport, including racism she’s faced as a Black gymnast in the predominantly white elite world of gymnastics and her experiences with body image and eating issues developed early on in life. Chiles will also get into her experiences competing in the Olympics, including taking Biles’ places after she developed the “twisties” during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the controversial Summer 2024 Olympics in Paris when Chiles was stripped of her medal.
The announcement comes after Chiles was ordered to forfeit her bronze medal on Aug. 11. Following an appeal by the Romanian gymnastics team, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) claimed Chiles’ coach attempted to correct the gymnast’s score four seconds too late. In September, Chiles’ attorneys filed an appeal with the Federal Court of Switzerland to overturn the decision, citing video evidence to the contrary.
In the book’s description on HarperCollins’ site, Chiles said the situation was “One of the most challenging moments of my career. Believe me when I say I have had many.”
Earlier this month, Chiles spoke out about the incident while speaking to CNN. “Things can be really, really hard in your life, and things may be stripped from you, and you’re going to have to deal with that, and understand that you need to fight for what you’re fighting for,” she told the outlet.
Chiles, who hails from Tualatin, Ore., hasn’t held back in shedding light on the grueling realities she has had to face as a rising gymnast. Her authenticity, tenacity, and panache on the mat have earned her the title of “That Girl” by her fans. Her aptly titled memoir aims ultimately to share how she’s come to embrace that moniker.
Chiles has also been open about how close she has become with fellow Team USA gymnasts, including Biles, whom she considers a “big sister.”
Speaking to People about the book, currently slated for release on March 4, 2025, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Harper Influence Lisa Sharkey said, “From the moment I met Jordan Chiles, months before the 2024 Summer Olympics, I was impressed with her heart, her authenticity, her enthusiasm and her powerful storytelling.”
