To become an Olympian you need a strong support system and two-time medalist Jordan Chiles definitely has that in her mom and dad. Videos of Timothy and Gina Chiles emotionally reacting to their daughter’s performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics made the rounds online, showing just how invested the couple is in their daughter’s success.
Timothy and Gina are both pastors at the According to His Word Worship Center, have been together 30 years and have welcomed five children, daughters Jazmin, Jade, and Jordan, and sons Tajmen and Tyrusof. Jordan is the baby of the family.
Jordan Chiles’ parents’ ethnic background, explained
Jordan Chiles’ father, Timothy Chiles Jr., is African American, and her mother, Gina, is Latina. The two have been married for over three decades, celebrating the landmark anniversary in April 2024. “I love being the foundation you can stand on, the shoulders you can cry on, the arms that you can run into. I can’t wait to see what the next 30 years will bring us,” Tim gushed in an Instagram post marking the occasion.
In 2023, when Jordan was right in the middle of preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the family suffered a tragedy when both Jordan’s grandpa (Gina’s father) and her aunt passed away. Gene (Eugenio) Velasquez was 75. According to his obituary, he grew up in Gallina, New Mexico, before moving to Sunnyside, Utah, then Oregon, and eventually Humble, Texas to enjoy retirement with his wife Pam near his daughter and son-in-law.
Jordan was born in Oregon, where her parents first established the According to His Word Worship Center in a “hotel conference room in Portland,” per the church’s website. They soon relocated to Vancouver, Washington when the Olympian was around six. Jordan’s sports journey began during that time when her parents enrolled her in a recreational class at Naydenov Gymnastics in the hopes it would become an outlet for her endless energy. She was immediately asked to try out for the pre-team. In 2019, Mom and Dad followed their daughter to Texas after she joined Simone Biles’ World Champions Centre, taking their ministry with them.
Jordan’s struggles with racism in Gymnastics
As successful as Jordan Chiles has been over the past decade, the world of Gymnastics isn’t known for its kindness and sensitivity and she considered quitting as she dealt with discrimination and outright racism. “I’ve been told that my mom wasn’t my mom. I’ve gotten told that I wasn’t Black,” the medalist told Teen Vogue.
In another interview, Jordan called receiving comments from a coach about the volume of her hair, calling her “double head.” “I wanted to be done because I didn’t think … the sport wanted me,” Jordan confessed. Still, she perseveres, even in the face of obstacles like the recent debacle over her bronze medal in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics, which generated major backlash worldwide when it was stripped from her and given to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu.
Jordan is still in the process of appealing the decision near the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, but has opened up about the racial abuse she has suffered as a result of her reluctance to accept an outcome she deems “unjust.” “To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful,” she said in a statement.
Like always, mom Gina came to her daughter’s defense, saying “The racist disgusting comments are still happening in 2024. I’m tired of people who say it no longer exists. My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched…and she’s being called disgusting things.” Through it all, Jordan has remained graceful and driven. She is proud of her ethnicity and uplifted by her parents, from day one.
Published: Sep 25, 2024 05:22 am