SI Swimsuit Cover Girl Jordan Chiles Talks Gymnastics, Gold and Finding Her Voice

The Olympic gymnast serves as one of four cover stars for the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue.

At 24 years old, two-time Olympian and UCLA Bruins gymnastics star Jordan Chiles has already had an incredible career. After making her elite debut in the American Classic in 2013, she appeared in a long list of impressive competitions, which earned her a spot on the U.S. women’s national team. At the 2021 Tokyo Games, she helped Team USA secure a silver medal, and at the 2024 Paris Games, she helped the team win gold.

All of these accolades, in addition to her advocacy for body positivity and mental health in women athletes, make her a perfect fit for the cover of the 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue. She joins Salma Hayek Pinault, Olivia Dunne and Lauren Chan as the cover models for this year’s magazine. While on set for her fierce, gorgeous shoot at The Boca Raton in Florida, photographed by Ben Horton, Chiles discussed gymnastics and her journey to finding—and owning—her voice.

“You have a dream as a little kid, and you never know if it gets fulfilled or not because there’s so many things that you do within your life. Knowing that I can say I’m a professional athlete, it’s pretty cool,” Chiles shared while on location. “It makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I did something within my sport, but balancing it is really hard.”

Looking back at her childhood, Chiles reflected on wishing she had more confidence in speaking her truth. When thinking about the advice she’d give younger generations, she highlighted the importance of empowering authentic voices—regardless of what the response might be.

View Jordan Chiles’s full gallery here.

“I think the thing that I would love to see is when you’re at a young age, using your voice,” she said. “That was one thing that I tried doing, but it wasn’t being heard. ‘You’re just saying this because,’ you know, ‘You have an attitude’ or something like that, and it was like, ‘No, I’m actually going through these phases of my life. And I would like for you to at least listen. You don’t have to give me feedback or anything like that, but at least listen.’”

“So yeah, I just want, you know, them to know that you can use your voice at any point in time, whether somebody’s listening or not, but as long as you can get it out and you feel like you can look back and be like, ‘I’m happy I use my voice because I wanna be where I am right now,’ then go for it, because that’s what I wish I did,” Chiles added.

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

When asked about her experience at the Olympics, Chiles had nothing but positive sentiments to share when looking back. And although she is currently working on an appeal to get her bronze medal in floor exercise from the Paris Games reinstated, she is so proud of the achievements of Team USA—particularly that gold medal last summer.

“I never thought in a million years I would go to a second Olympics. I only wanted one, and God said, ‘No, you’re going to two,’” she stated. “My favorite, I think, was having Snoop Dogg there, and, like, all the celebrities, because during that timeframe, you never know how many people are actually watching gymnastics, and that’s when I knew, ‘O.K.’”

This year, Chiles led the Bruins to a runner-up finish at the 2025 NCAA championships and she released her memoir, I’m That Girl. Truly, she never stops.

Chiles’s undeniable talent and strength—on and off the gymnastics mat—make her an inspiration for many. We’re so thrilled to have her on the cover of the 2025 issue, with her debut marking an opportunity she considers “a dream come true.”

“Jordan Chiles’s why is written in every comeback, every leap, every time she shows up for herself and her team,” SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day said of Chiles’s cover moment. “Resilience is her trademark, and it’s why she stands as a symbol of strength—not just physical, but emotional. Jordan is showing us all that perseverance and joy can coexist in powerful ways.”

Click here to view Jordan Chiles’s cover story.