"If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be here" - When Jordan Chiles credited Simone Biles for Tokyo Olympics success

Jordan Chiles once shared that Simone Biles was behind the US gymnastics women's team's silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, despite Biles having withdrawn from the competition herself. 'Twisties' grasped Biles mid-air while she was performing her first routine of the night.

Simone Biles, 27, secured four golds at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the vault, floor exercise, team, and all-around. She walked home with the honor of the most decorated gymnast. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Biles was expected to achieve a similar number of golds having entered the Summer Games as the top seed.

However, she faced 'twisties', a state in which the gymnast is not able to find sync between her body and mind. She showed courage while stepping off the gymnastic mat to focus on her mental health. But her abrupt decision to withdraw didn't put the all-around medal at stake.

In a post-race interview, the Olympian spoke about encouraging the girls to continue with the competition. In an interview with NBC in 2022, Jordan Chiles, Biles' World Champions Center compeer, credited the seven-time Olympic medalist behind the team's silver win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"This medal is definitely for her, because if it wasn't if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be here where we are right now. We wouldn't be a silver Olympic medalist because of who she is as a person.”

In 2018, Jordan Chiles moved to Houston to train alongside Simone Biles. In an exclusive Olympics.com interview, she shared how Simone Biles has been a bubble of encouragement throughout.

"She encourages me a lot, like a lot. And it's a different type of encouragement...It's an encouragement to where she is like: 'Okay, Jo. We've got to get this done. We got to do this.'"

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"I think the real thing was we understand each other" - Jordan Chiles on friendship with Simone Biles

The 'twisties' incident at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics stood as an example to every athlete who felt the need to prioritize mental health. Simone Biles' decision to step down and keep away from her profession for two years ignited a fire in Jordan Chiles' heart as well. Since then, Biles and Chiles have kept tabs on each other and asked each other if they're okay, as shared with US Weekly in a recent interview.

"I think the real thing was we understand each other, whether we have to talk to each other or not, we’ll ask each other if we’re OK.”

The gymnastic duo will look to accomplish what they couldn't at the Tokyo Olympics - the team gold and individual titles as well.