Jordan Chiles wants to compete in a third Olympics, and she wants to do it in the city she now calls home.
The 25-year-old Olympic gold medalist announced Wednesday, Sept. 2, that she will return to elite gymnastics and train for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Chiles unveiled her bid in a video narrated by NBA legend Michael Jordan, the man she was named after, captioned "LA 2028... WHY NOT?"
"I've learned that there's no timeline for when you're supposed to be done dreaming," Chiles said in a statement to ESPN.
Chiles is the fourth member of the 2024 U.S. gold-medal gymnastics team to declare a comeback for LA28, joining Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera, according to the Los Angeles Times. Simone Biles, the 29-year-old, 11-time Olympic medalist, has not announced whether she will return for LA28.
The announcement capped a busy week for Chiles. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, UCLA announced she would return to the Bruins as a student coach for the 2027 gymnastics season. The role gives her access to UCLA's training facilities while she prepares for elite competition, according to Gymnastics Now.
"Jordan has made an incredible impact on our program over the years," UCLA gymnastics coach Janelle McDonald said in a statement announcing the coaching role.
Chiles finished her Bruins career as a 23-time All-American. She won individual NCAA titles on bars and floor, earned the AAI Award as the nation's top senior gymnast and posted 19 perfect 10s, third-most in UCLA history.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Chiles competed in all four events in the team final and helped the United States win gold. She also earned an individual bronze on floor exercise with a Beyoncé-inspired routine. That medal remains in dispute before the Court of Arbitration for Sport after a scoring-inquiry controversy.
Chiles won a team silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is a three-time world medalist. If she makes the 2028 team, she would join a short list of American women who have competed in three Olympic Games. Before Biles accomplished the feat in Paris, Dominique Dawes in 2000 was the last U.S. woman to do so.
The 50-second announcement video featured appearances by model Winnie Harlow and singer Normani, NBC Sports reported. It was directed by Avery Hall. Michael Jordan's narration closed with a pointed question: "So when the world asks why she's back for a third time, the answer's simple."
Chiles answered it herself: "Why not?"
Her last elite competition was the 2024 Paris Games. No timeline for her first competition back has been announced. The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are less than two years away.







