Only Biles, Suni Lee and Jade Carey had been expected to compete in the team final, but Chiles stepped up to fill Biles’ place.
Chiles scored a 14.666 on the vault, a 14.166 on the uneven bars, a 13.433 on the balance beam and a costly 11.700 on floor exercise. Team USA won the silver medal, and the Russian Olympic Committee took the top spot in an upset.
For Chiles, the fill-in performance was all part of an unusual road to the Olympics.
“Chick” rose through the ranks of the gymnastics world. But around 2017 and 2018, she hit a wall and became unhappy with gymnastics, according to The New York Times.
“I didn’t think the sport wanted me anymore,” Chiles told the Times. “So I went in the opposite direction.”
She finished 11th place in the all-around at the US Championships in 2018 and considered hanging things up for good. That’s when Biles called and invited her to train at the star’s gym in Texas, which offered a less strict environment. Chiles packed up and moved.
The move has proved a hit for Chiles’ gymnastics career.
Chiles similarly finished in third in the all-around at the US Olympic Trials to secure her spot on the national team.
Her performance in Tokyo started off rocky. At qualifiers on Sunday, she fell off the balance beam during her routine and fell again on her dismount. Afterward, Biles came over to her to offer comfort and words of encouragement.
She is set to attend UCLA in the fall.