Florence Griffith Joyner ran in one-legged bodysuits and six-inch painted nails and set world records that still haven't been broken. For Jordan Chiles, she was more than a sporting figure. She was a blueprint for her. And on Saturday night in Los Angeles, Chiles was honored in Florence Griffith Joyner’s name.

Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles received the Florence Griffith Joyner Award on Saturday night in Los Angeles. The UCLA Black Alumni Association honored the gymnast for her athletic excellence and community engagement.

The gala itself was a fundraiser for the Winston C. Doby Legacy Scholarship, which is a merit-based program supporting UCLA undergraduate and graduate students navigating financial barriers to higher education.

For Chiles, being honored at an event built around expanding access for Black students at UCLA wasn't incidental.

Beyond the gymnastics floor, Chiles has been one of the most consistent voices in women's athletics on body positivity and mental health. She has spoken about those publicly throughout her career at UCLA and after the Paris Olympics.

In 2025 Jordan Chiles featured in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit issue and used that same platform to advocate for fellow Black athletes. Right after the judging controversy at the Paris Olympics, she decided to speak for the Black athletes.

The award now highlights the deep similarities between Chiles and Griffith Joyner.

The similarities between Jordan Chiles and Florence Griffith Joyner

The similarities start with the obvious thing: two Black women athletes who refused to be anything other than themselves. They both used fashion as a tool to feel more confident while becoming cultural figures.

However, both athletes faced significant personal and professional costs to maintain their cultural influence.

Flo Jo faced negativity at the peak of her athletic career. During the 1988 Olympic Trials, when she set her 10.49-second world record, an ABC announcer suggested the wind readings or electronics were wrong.

She stayed calm, treated her doubters with the kindness her mother had taught her. She then went to Seoul and won three gold medals.

Just like her idol, Chiles has navigated her own version of that scrutiny. From the Paris Olympics judging controversy to the persistent noise that follows high-profile Black women athletes, she has always fought against what is wrong.

Both women also understood that sport was the platform, not the ceiling. Flo Jo designed fashion lines, wrote children's books, and was named co-chairwoman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness. And she did it all after retirement.

Chiles, who has just retired from UCLA, is already building the same kind of multi-dimensional presence of advocacy, media, community, and sport.

What connects them most directly is the philosophy Flo Jo lived by, and Chiles has chosen to narrate for the next generation.

"I believe in the impossible, because no one else does," Chiles spoke those words aloud for the Rebel Girls podcast, putting Flo Jo's voice into the ears of young athletes who will grow up becoming champions.

Read more at the Gymnastics Digest!

Written by

Koushik Biswas

Edited by

Koushik Biswas