Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles is bringing the fun to her second Olympic Games, this time through her floor routine set to the tune of Beyoncé.
Chiles’ stellar performance on the floor at the Paris Summer Olympics is set to a mix of anthems such as “My House,” “Energy,” and even “Lose My Breath” by Destiny’s Child. But it’s not the first time the 23-year-old Olympian has competed to music that is atypical for a floor routine. In fact, Chiles previously drew attention for a hip-hop inspired floor performance where she competed to DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat,” and Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It,” among others.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]That performance was during a collegiate match, which differs from an international meet where judges may be less open to popular music routines. Gymnastics rules dictate that floor routine music must have no lyrics, which is why many athletes opt to incorporate classical music in their routine.
But Chiles is hoping to make her mark. “She’s there to make an impact and she’s there to empower other gymnasts to just be themselves,” UCLA assistant coach BJ Das, the choreographer behind Chiles’ floor routine, told the Los Angeles Times.
Das also included Beyoncé’s influence in the signature Renaissance pose Chiles does after her second tumbling pass, a “Run the World” shoulder shake, and at the end her routine with the same pose Beyoncé does at the end of her “Everybody Mad” dance break at Coachella.
Chiles has publicly spoken about Beyoncé’s influence, previously stating in a video for the Olympics Gymnastics that her motto is “I’m that girl” another Beyoncé record. “I feel like I’ve proved enough to this world,” she says. “I don’t have to, you know, change anything, and I can just be authentic to who I want to be.” The gymnast has even commissioned a custom leotard that matched one of Beyoncé’s tour outfits for the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, according to NBC Philadelphia.
Chiles had the third highest qualifying score leading into the women’s floor final. Her biggest competitors: fellow teammate Simone Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, the latter of which edged her out by just 0.034 points. (Andrade also did a floor routine to a Beyoncé song: “End of Time.”)
The routine appears to have received the Beyoncé stamp of approval, with the 32-time Grammy Award winner sending Chiles a signed copy of her latest album, Cowboy Carter. Chiles shared the gift on Instagram, which included a note of congratulations. “I always watch you with pride and admiration! Thank you for repping us,” Beyoncé wrote.
The final floor showdown, where viewers can watch Chiles’ rock her floor routine once again, will take place on Monday, Aug. 5.
