Jordan Chiles commits to LA 2028

Jordan Chiles said on Wednesday that she will return to elite gymnastics and pursue a place on the U.S. team for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The 25-year-old made the announcement in a video posted to Instagram, with narration by basketball great Michael Jordan, and captioned it “LA 2028… WHY NOT?” The decision gives Chiles a target three years after the Paris 2024 Olympics and would put her in line for what could be her third Summer Games appearance. Olympics.com said the announcement came a day after UCLA said Chiles was returning to the Bruins’ gymnastics program as a student coach. (olympics.com) ### What exactly did Chiles announce? Jordan Chiles announced on September 2 that she is making a run at LA28, using a social-media video to confirm she intends to return to elite competition. Olympics.com reported that Michael Jordan narrated the clip, saying, “Why again? Because the dream is still there. Why continue? Because there’s still more to give.” (olympics.com) NBC Sports and USA Today both described the post as confirmation that Chiles is training for Los Angeles 2028 after not competing at the elite level since the Paris Olympics. The announcement ended months of questions over whether she would continue toward another Olympic cycle. (olympics.com) ### Where does this fit in her Olympic career? Olympics.com lists Chiles as a two-time Olympian for the United States, with appearances at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. Her athlete profile shows one Olympic gold medal and one silver medal. Paris 2024 made Chiles part of the U.S. women’s team that won gold, while Tokyo 2020 ended with a team silver for the Americans. (nbcsports.com) If she makes the Los Angeles team, LA28 would be her third Olympics. ### Had she been hinting at this before now? Jordan Chiles had been publicly leaving the door open for LA28 for more than a year. (olympics.com) In an Olympics.com interview published after Paris, she said a third Olympics was “on my mind” and “not completely out of my head.” A second Olympics.com interview published this year said Chiles had still not ruled out Los Angeles, telling the outlet that “LA28 is always in my mind.” Those comments framed Wednesday’s post less as a surprise than as a formal decision. (olympics.com) ### Who else from Team USA has said they are coming back? (olympics.com) Olympics.com said Chiles is the fourth member of the U.S. women’s team from Paris 2024 to commit to an LA28 run, after Hezly Rivera, Jade Carey and Suni Lee. The same report said Simone Biles had not confirmed whether she will return. (olympics.com) Yahoo Sports reported Chiles’ decision means every member of the gold medal-winning Paris squad except Biles has now announced a comeback. That leaves the shape of the next U.S. team unresolved with several leading names still in the mix. ### What happens next between now and Los Angeles? (olympics.com) Los Angeles is scheduled to host the next Summer Olympics from July 14 to July 30, 2028, according to the IOC’s LA28 page. Chiles would need to return through the U.S. elite pipeline before any future Olympic trials or team selection. UCLA said this week that Chiles will also serve as a student coach for the Bruins’ 2027 season, according to Olympics.com and Gymnastics Now. (staging-aws.sports.yahoo.com) Her next concrete milestones are expected to come through domestic elite competition and the U.S. selection process ahead of the 2028 Games. (olympics.com 1) (olympics.com 2)