Jordan Chiles Accidentally Manifested Her SI Swimsuit Cover With This Sweet Moment

The 24-year-old Olympian and SI Swimsuit cover model chatted with Les Alfred for the ‘She’s So Lucky’ podcast.

Jordan Chiles was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by FAE. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

Two-time Olympian and UCLA Bruins gymnastics team star Jordan Chiles is on fire. After an impressive run at the Paris Olympics last summer, where she helped Team USA reach gold, she went on to publish a memoir, titled I’m That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams, in March, and followed that up with a spot on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. She traveled to The Boca Raton in Florida last fall for her debut photo shoot for the magazine.

At 24 years old, Chiles is an undeniable force of nature. As she promotes her SI Swimsuit cover, her fans continue to rally around her to support her latest achievement. On Saturday, May 17, the athlete joined host Les Alfred for a live taping of the She’s So Lucky podcast as part of the SI Swimsuit Social Club two-day event, a members-only pop-up to celebrate the 2025 issue.

During their conversation, Chiles discussed her journey of self-love, navigating being stripped of her bronze medal last summer and healing through writing her book.

Jordan Chiles on the ‘She’s So Lucky’ podcast at the SI Swimsuit Social Club / Ivan Piedra

Since the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue launched, Chiles has been very open about her body image struggles and how she had to learn to embrace and love her body, which she now calls “a work of art.” What fans might not know about her cover is that it’s an achievement she sees as a “full circle moment.” During the podcast taping, she recalled a sweet moment years ago where she channeled her inner SI Swimsuit model, accidentally manifesting it.

While on vacation in 2022, she recalled, she asked her friend to take photos of her in a swimsuit, declaring, “I want to feel like an SI [Swimsuit] cover girl.” Little did she know that in just three years, that would become a reality.

During her fitting ahead of her SI Swimsuit shoot—which she didn’t know at the time would become her cover moment—she felt that “little Jordan would be so proud.” Despite years of facing negative comments about her physical appearance as an athlete, she was able to quiet the noise during her fitting and learned to embrace how she looked as she tried on swimsuits. And when the shoot day came, she became “in awe” of herself through the long hours. That day marked “the first time in 22 years of [her] life” that she could truly love her body.

Jordan Chiles was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Bad N Bare. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

While discussing her memoir, Chiles explained that she wanted to tell her story her way after seeing lies on social media. What she didn’t realize was that through recounting the biggest moments of her life—some very traumatic—she would heal through the process. She learned that she was still hanging on to difficult parts of her life that “hindered” her, but getting everything out there made her feel “so much better.” Now, she’s a stronger version of herself.

After the events of the 2024 Olympics, it took Chiles a while to accept the support she was given. As she recalled, last summer was the first time she realized how many people were there for her, not only including friends and family but also big-name celebrities and athletes. After her medal was taken away from her, she explained that “it didn’t feel right to accept their support” because she was so broken inside.

But now, after she’s mended her heart, she appreciates the outpouring of love and is proud of her accomplishments in Paris—including being part of the all-Black podium, a first for gymnastics.

Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade and Jordan Chiles / Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Though Chiles has lived a lot of her life in the spotlight, there are still layers to her that fans might not know. For instance, she wants to produce a movie. Explaining that she gets creative when she’s emotional, she recalled writing a script in her journal one time when she was upset. She feels confident with fashion and has tried her hand at acting and dancing, but producing is something currently unchecked on the bucket list.

But while Chiles continues to dream big, she also values the importance of staying grounded. For this year, she’s prioritizing “staying true to [her]self” and living in the moment. Things might get hectic, but her talent, resilience and newfound confidence keep her that girl through it all.

The 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue is available online and at select newsstands now. Order your copy here.

View the Full Gallery. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746475653/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jth0z2kjbjp5ap8get.jpg. More Jordan Chiles. Jordan Chiles In Issue. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746475660/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jth0z2wxecgd64kpe7.jpg. Meet the Cover Model . https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746475655/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jth0z2mcv4wf700ex3.jpg