Jordan Chiles Sets Her Sights On A Third Olympics At LA28

Jordan Chiles has her sights set on a third Olympic Games.

The 25-year-old gymnast announced Wednesday that she plans to return to elite competition with hopes of representing Team USA at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Chiles shared the news through a video built around a simple question: “Why not?”

For Chiles, the decision comes two years after helping the U.S. women’s gymnastics team win gold at the Paris Olympics. Rather than viewing her career through an expected timeline, she is giving herself another opportunity to compete on the sport’s biggest stage, this time with the Games coming to Los Angeles.

“I’ve learned that there’s no timeline for when you’’e supposed to be done dreaming,” Chiles said in a statement to ESPN. “LA28 has always been somewhere in the back of my mind, but I needed to take the time to figure out what coming back would mean for me and, more importantly, why I wanted to do it.”

“LA28 isn’t about proving anything to anyone,” she continued. “It’s about betting on myself one more time, enjoying the journey and seeing just how far I can take this. I still love this sport, I still have more to give and getting the chance to potentially do that in L.A., the city I now call home, makes it even more special. I’m excited to see what’s possible when I bet on myself one more time.”

Her announcement received a little help from some famous names. Michael Jordan, whom Chiles was named after, narrates the video, while Normani and Winnie Harlow make appearances. Chiles also enlisted Houston’s Paul Wall and celebrity jeweler Johnny Dang to create a custom grill reading “LA28.”

“Just one more bet on herself. So when the world asks why she’s back for a third time? The answer is simple,” Jordan said. “Why not?”

The news follows another development in Chiles’ gymnastics career. UCLA announced September 1 that the former Bruin will join the program’s staff as a student coach under head coach Janelle McDonald while pursuing her return to elite competition.

Chiles has already competed at two Olympics. She made her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021 before returning for the Paris Games three years later, where the U.S. captured the team title.