Jordan Chiles has had a legendary career so far, achieving two official Olympic medals as part of the U.S. Gymnastics team. However, this time, she lost the 2026 Honda Sports Award to Faith Torrez.

Oklahoma Sooners star Faith Torrez's win marks the team's second consecutive victory in two years.

After being confirmed by Gymnastics Now as the winner of the Honda Sports Award for gymnastics on Thursday, Faith expressed her joy to the press, along with why this win was special to her.

“Winning the Honda Award for gymnastics in my final senior year is something I will hold close to my heart forever,” Faith said.

Her victory symbolizes the value Honda Awards places on those “quiet moments” in athletes' growth that help them achieve all-around titles.

Faith shared that “it is about the quiet moments no one sees, the early mornings, the tears, the growth, and the faith it took to keep going.”

Her journey is not just about trophies, but about her resilience in coming back stronger each time after injuries during her season.

Torrez gave credit to her community for being the ultimate support for her success by addressing that the award “belongs to my team, my sisters who became my home and stood by me through every high and low.”

She dedicated the award to her coaches, KJ, Lou, Tom, Ash, and Jenn, “who poured” their efforts into her and "helped shape" the person she is today.

Faith Torrez winning the award is a story of collective efforts that cemented her place in history forever. She proved her brilliance by leading her team to its national title for the second year in a row, despite her ankle injury this season.

The coveted Honda award was given to Oklahoma’s Jordan Bowers in 2025 and to LSU's Haleigh Bryant in 2024. This year's 2026 Honda Cup is scheduled for July 27 and will be presented to one of the 12 sports-specific winners.

Why Jordan Fell Short of the Honda Title?

Jordan Chiles, the senior UCLA gymnast, was a finalist for the Honda Cup Award 2026. But ultimately, she missed the title after her achievements fell short against Oklahoma’s Torrez.

In the past three years, the award has been presented to the gymnast who has secured the NCAA all-around title.

Faith Torrez was the only gymnast in the country in 2026 to take First-Team All-American honors with a high score of 39.7875.

Jordan, on the other hand, was ranked in the Top 5 across all events during the regular season, which highlighted her incredible performance but ultimately led to her missing this year's title.

Additionally, the Honda Sports Award focuses on the athlete who leads their team to the championship.

Though Jordan was honoured with the 2026 AAI Award for this season as senior gymnast and her Big Ten Gymnast of the Year title, Torrez was favored for the award for helping Oklahoma reach its eighth national title.

Chiles' team, the UCLA Bruins, did not reach the finals this year, ending their journey at the semi-finals instead. Torrez’s overall combination of individual and team success is what led her to win this trophy over Chiles.

Read more at the Gymnastics Digest!

Written by

Sebi Mehta

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit