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Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey say their friendship began at a national team training camp in 2017—and that competing against one another has never stopped them from wanting the best for each other. In a joint interview with Bustle published March 20, 2025, the gymnasts described how that bond took shape, how they supported one another through Olympic pressure, and why they see friendship and competition as compatible.
How Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey became friends
Carey traced their friendship to her first national team training camp in 2017. She was new to the group, she told Bustle, and Chiles helped her settle into elite gymnastics: “I was a new face and just getting to know everyone, but Jordan helped me acclimate to the world of elite gymnastics.”
Chiles recalled wanting to bring more fun into the intensity of elite gymnastics, and said Carey was excited by that idea. Carey described Chiles as a fierce competitor who also encourages the people around her and reminds teammates to enjoy the sport. The friendship, as they tell it, grew from a mix of welcome, shared energy and a commitment to making room for fun.
How they supported each other during the Paris Olympics
Chiles encouraged Carey before qualification
In the days before the Paris 2024 qualification round, Carey was unwell and spent several days isolated in a hotel room, according to Bustle. Chiles could not support her in person, but sent encouraging texts. Carey said, “Knowing that she was in it with me made it so much easier.”
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Carey recovered in time to win bronze on vault, and both gymnasts contributed to Team USA’s gold in the women’s team event. Nike’s July 30, 2024 account reports that Chiles competed on all four apparatuses in the team final.
Carey stood by Chiles after the floor-exercise ruling
After Chiles’s floor-exercise medal was taken away following a judging dispute, Carey posted publicly in support of her. Bustle reproduced her message: “Don’t punish the athlete for someone else’s mistake. With you all the way, Jo. You are forever an Olympic champion that has so much to be proud of.”
Chiles told Bustle that Carey’s support was “amazing.” She said she was honored that Carey stood beside her and continued to fight as she did, adding, “I really appreciate that she stood by me, and I would have done the exact same thing [for her].”
The procedural issue was the timing of Chiles’s inquiry: TIME’s account of the ruling says it was found to have missed a one-minute deadline, after which the original score was reinstated. The friendship story does not depend on resolving the broader controversy; Carey’s public support and Chiles’s response show how they described standing by one another.
How they balance friendship and competition
Asked directly how they balance being friends and competitors, Chiles said she is highly competitive but does not see her friends as competitors. She acknowledged wanting to beat everyone, then described the rankings and scores as part of a game in which each gymnast plays a role. Sharing that experience with friends, she said, is fun.
Carey made a similar point about their college gymnastics careers. In the March 2025 interview, Bustle identified Chiles with UCLA and Carey with Oregon State. “Even though we’re on different college teams, it still feels like we’re on the same team,” Carey said. “We always want the best for each other.” Those are the teams named in that interview, not a claim about either gymnast’s current roster.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the interview says about their friendship
Chiles and Carey describe a bond that accommodates both ambition and affection: they can compete intensely, take pride in one another’s achievements and offer support when circumstances turn difficult. Their examples span opposite roles—Chiles encouraging Carey before Olympic qualification, and Carey publicly supporting Chiles after the floor-exercise decision—without suggesting that one person’s success diminishes the other’s.
Bustle’s March 2025 profile also reported that the pair had five Olympic medals, 10 World Championship medals and 19 collegiate perfect 10s combined. Those are figures as reported by Bustle at that time; the interview did not identify the original tally source, so they should not be treated as independently verified or current totals.
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