Whether Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles returns to gymnastics competition remains to be seen, but she will be involved in the sport in 2027.
Chiles will be a student coach next year for UCLA after winning four NCAA titles for the Bruins during her college career that wrapped up this past season.
“Being in Pauley (Pavilion) as a gymnast was chapter one,” Chiles said. “Now I get to start a new chapter as Coach Jo. Welcome to Coach Jo’s era.”
Chiles, a 25-year-old from Vancouver, Washington, last competed on the elite international level at her second Olympics in Paris in 2024, winning gold with the U.S. team.
Chiles attended the Xfinity U.S. Championships last month in Phoenix, where she said “the wait is still on” about a possible comeback.
“I definitely am going on a lot of vacation, so stay tuned for that,” she said then. “I think right now my mind is just focusing on me, personally, mentally.”
Three of Chiles’ four teammates from Paris are definitely bidding for LA 2028 — Hezly Rivera, who last month repeated as U.S. all-around champion; Jade Carey, who was a student assistant coach at Oregon State last season, then returned to elite competition this season and Suni Lee, who announced her return to the gym in July and could return to competition as early as next spring.
There is precedent for a gymnast to become a coach and then make an Olympic team. Alicia Sacramone was a volunteer assistant at Brown in 2008 before competing at the Beijing Games that year.
