Jordan Chiles withdraws from Winter Cup with shoulder injury

Trent Wood
·3 min read
Jordan Chiles, a silver medalist with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, has withdrawn from the 2024 Winter Cup with a shoulder injury, in advance of an attempt to make the U.S. team for the Paris Games.
Jordan Chiles, a silver medalist with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics, has withdrawn from the 2024 Winter Cup with a shoulder injury, in advance of an attempt to make the U.S. team for the Paris Games. | Martin Mejia, Associated Press
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Jordan Chiles won’t be competing later this month in the Winter Cup, the first gymnastics meet of the year that American Olympic hopefuls will participate in as they look to secure a spot at the Paris Games this summer.

A silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, and standout for UCLA gymnastics last year, Chiles announced that a slight shoulder injury suffered during recent training will prevent her from competing in Louisville at the end of the month (Feb. 23-25).

“Hey guys,” Chiles wrote on X. “I tweaked my shoulder which has prevented me from training at the level I am comfortable with leading up to a competition. At the advice of my (doctors) and coaches, I have decided it is best to pull out of the Winter Cup.”

Chiles is one of several notable American gymnasts who were (most still are) slated to compete.

Suni Lee competes on the balance beam at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. | Jed Jacobsohn, Associated Press
Suni Lee competes on the balance beam at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in San Jose, Calif. | Jed Jacobsohn, Associated Press

Included in that list are:

  • Reigning Olympic all-around champion (and former Auburn standout) Suni Lee.

  • 2023 Pan American Games team and all-around champion (and Florida star) Kayla DiCello.

  • 2012 Olympic team and all-around champion Gabby Douglas.

  • Former Florida Gators star (and one of the best collegiate gymnasts of all time) Trinity Thomas.

  • Multiple-time World team champion Skye Blakely.

  • Expected future NCAA stars in Addison Fatta and Tiana Sumanasekera, among others.

Chiles isn’t the first gymnast to withdraw from the Winter Cup.

Zoe Miller, a 2023 Pan American Games team and uneven bars champion, also announced that she won’t be competing, citing injury.

“With much disappointment, I wanted to share with you all that my participation in this year’s Winter Cup is no longer feasible due to an injury,” she wrote on Instagram.

For Chiles, missing the Winter Cup is a source of frustration, after she deferred her sophomore year at UCLA in order to train for Paris Olympics qualification. The Winter Cup is a qualifying meet for the 2024 U.S. gymnastics championships, which are slated to be held in late June, ahead of the Olympic Trials.

UCLA’s Jordan Chiles reacts during the Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.
UCLA’s Jordan Chiles reacts during the Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships at the Maverik Center in West Valley City on March 18, 2023. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News

“I am frustrated I can’t perform for you all, but this is also part of our sport and things like this only fuel me for what’s coming,” she wrote. “Can’t wait to show you what we have cookin’. Just a little while longer. See you soon!”

Chiles is one of more than a few NCAA gymnastics stars who have announced that they will attempt to qualify for and compete in Paris this summer.

DiCello and Chiles both deferred their sophomore seasons in order to do so, while Florida’s Leanne Wong, Oregon State’s Jade Carey, Utah’s Amelie Morgan (Great Britain) and UCLA’s Emma Malabuyo (Phillipines) are among those competing at the NCAA level this winter while simultaneously training for a shot at the Olympics.

Chiles’ next opportunity to compete will be at the Core Hydration Classic in mid-May, the final qualifying meet for the U.S. gymnastics championships.