Explained: Why did Jordan Chiles not qualify for the all-around finals despite finishing third at the Paris Olympics 2024?

Jordan Chiles is one of the top prospects for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women’s gymnastics events. Chiles recently put up impressive performances during the Olympics gymnastics qualification, delivering an overall score of 56.065, in the women’s all-around.

She secured 14.216 on vault, 14.266 on uneven bars, 13.600 on balance beam, and 13.866 on floor exercise in the qualifications to currently stand third in the list after the completion of two rotations. Chiles is only behind her compatriots in the all-around rankings as Simone Biles and Suni Lee are placed first and second respectively in the all-around with scores of 59.566 and 56.132.

Despite such a standout performance in the qualifications, Jordan Chiles didn’t qualify in the finals of the women’s all-around due to the “two-per-country” rule. This implies that only two gymnasts from one National Olympic Committee (NOC) will be eligible to compete in the finals.

This rule was introduced to ensure that powerhouse gymnastics nations like the USA, Japan, and China, among others, don't have an unfair advantage, thus allowing other countries to compete on the same level playing field. As a result, the American gymnast will unfortunately remain absent in the finals of the all-around event. However, her third rank in the all-around might change with other subdivisions yet to take place.

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Jordan Chiles will aim for her first individual Olympic medal at the Paris Olympics 2024

Jordan Chiles of Team United State competes in the floor exercise during the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Qualification on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Jordan Chiles currently is placed second in the women’s floor exercise after a stunning performance during the women’s gymnastics qualifications as she earned a score of 13.866 points. With more subdivisions to go, she is only behind Simone Biles, who scored 14.600 in the qualifications.

Although other subdivisions are yet to finish, she is currently in contention for qualifying for the finals of the women’s floor exercise event.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she contributed to the United States’ silver medal victory in the women’s team event with scores of 14.666 on the vault, 14.166 on the uneven bars, 13.433 on the balance beam, and 11.700 on the floor exercise. However, it was the only medal she won during the Tokyo Olympic Games.

However, as she competes in her second Olympic Games in Paris, she will be aiming to secure her first individual Olympic medal.