The Youngest Child Birth Order Theory Is Totally Playing Out on the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team

Maybe it's because I've been knee-deep in TikTok birth order theories of late, but the Olympics women's gymnastics finals just feels so youngest-child coded.

Jordan Chiles, the only youngest child on the U.S. team, as the New York Times reported, did everything right: “she did exactly what she was meant to do — as the leadoff hitter, if you will, for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team in Paris, and as the unofficial hype woman for the squad. She nailed her routine and reminded the world that the United States was here for gold.” And yet Chiles won't be competing for a medal in the all-around finals. Instead, in the final scores from the all-around qualifying event, Chiles' name has an asterisk next to it. The tiny star connotes big meaning: there are 24 spots in the finals, but Olympic gymnastics rules state that only two individuals from the same country can compete. So even though Chiles scored the fourth highest all-around qualifying points, since U.S. teammates Simone Biles and Suni Lee placed higher, Chiles will be sitting on the bench. I'm including all 30 "qualifying" scores, including the six scores that can't compete thanks to the country rule, so you can see why this must be so devastating for Chiles.

1. Simone Biles (USA) — 59.566
2. Rebeca Andrade (Brazil) — 57.7
3. Suni Lee (USA) — 56.132
4. Jordan Chiles* (USA) — 56.065
5. Kaylia Nemour (Algeria) — 55.966
6. Manila Esposito (Italy) — 55.898
7. Alice D'Amato (Italy) — 55.432
8. Qiu Qiuyan (China) — 54.998
9. Ellie Black (Canada) — 54.766
10. Rina Kishi (Japan) — 54.699
11. Flavia Saravia (Brazil) — 54.199
12. Ou Yushan (China) — 53.965
13. Elisa Iorio* (Italy) — 53.898
14. Ruby Pass (Australia) — 53.866
15. Helen Kevric (Germany) — 53.865
16. Ana Barbosu (Romania) — 53.533
17. Haruka Nakamura (Japan) — 53.532
18. Filipa Martins (Portugal) — 53.166
19. Mana Okamura* (Japan) — 53.132
20. Jade Barbosa* (Brazil) — 53.066
21. Naomi Visser (Netherlands) — 53.032
22. Bettina Lili Czifra (Hungary) — 52.732
23. Amalia Ghigoarta (Romania) — 52.665
24. Georgia-Mae Fenton (Great Britain) — 52.632
25. Sarah Voss (Germany) — 52.565
26. Ave Stewart (Canada) — 52.332
27. Kohane Ushioku* (Japan) — 52.121
28. Alice Kinsella (Great Britain) — 51.999
29. Aurelie Train* (Canada) — 51.798
30. Luisa Blanco (Colombia) — 51.698

Interestingly enough, Chiles's teammates are all middle children: Biles is the third of four. Hezly Rivera is the middle child of three. Lee is a middle child, and so is Jade Carey. Chiles, on the other hand, is the youngest child of five siblings. Birth order theory suggests that where you fall in your family pecking order has an impact on your personality. For instance, oldest kids tend to take initiative. Middleborns tend to be peacekeepers. Youngest tend to be free-spirited. And then there's also the more negative stereotypes, like how youngest kids often feel like the baby, left behind when they watch from the sidelines as their older sibs get to have all the fun. Ugh. While birth order can only account for so much in any person's personality, it is a bummer to see Chiles get the youngest child treatment, warming the bench thanks to a .067 point difference.

Birth order aside, as a middle child myself—and probably 4 billion years older than Chiles—even I'm still looking up to her resilience and strength. I mean, have you seen the girl land a two and half twisting Yurchenko? That's some big sister energy.