The American gymnast's surprising announcement - with help from Michael Jordan
After months of question marks, Jordan Chiles announced that she is aiming for a comeback at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. She chose to make the announcement in a particularly original way - with the help of the voice of the basketball legend, after whom she is named.
Jordan Chiles is on her way to a big comeback. The Olympic medalist announced yesterday (Wednesday) that she intends to try and make the US team for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics - four years after she was part of the team gold medal win in Paris. Chiles, who already won team silver in Tokyo 2020 and team gold in Paris 2024, has not competed in an international competition since the Olympic Games in France. Just last month she was still avoiding committing to her future path when asked about her plans for 2028, replying that "the wait is still on." Now, the wait is over and the decision has been made.
Chiles' choice to try and return specifically in Los Angeles is not surprising. She lives in the city, and last June she finished her studies at UCLA, where she won four gold medals at the NCAA championships - two on the uneven bars and two in the floor exercise. This week, the university even announced that Chiles will return to the gymnastics program in 2027 as a coach.
She chose to make the announcement about the comeback in a particularly original way. In a video posted on Instagram, the message was read by... none other than Michael Jordan (after whom the gymnast is named). Next to him appeared Chiles' short and direct caption: "Los Angeles 2028... why not?".
However, the road to the Olympic Games is still long. Chiles does not hold a guaranteed spot on the US team and will have to prove herself again in competitions and trials leading up to the Games.
Chiles was part of the team that won silver in Tokyo and gold in Paris. In France, she also won an individual bronze medal in the floor exercise - which was eventually stripped from her. Chiles was the last gymnast in the floor competition and the judges gave her a score of 13.666, lower than Barbosu and her compatriot, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who received 13.700. Barbosu was already celebrating the bronze medal, but then it turned out that the Americans had filed an inquiry regarding the difficulty level - and that the inquiry was accepted. Chiles' score was raised to 13.766 and she jumped to third place. On the podium, she provided that memorable image where she and Simone Biles bow to Rebeca Andrade. In Romania, they filed an urgent appeal. The CAS decided to return the bronze medal to Barbosu and strip it from Chiles - not because of a claim of a judging error. The explanation was that Chiles' inquiry (filed by her coach) was accepted after more than a minute had passed since her routine - meaning beyond the legal time limit.
