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‘UCLA, here I come!’ Jordan Chiles to rejoin Bruins after medaling twice at Paris Olympics

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3 months ago

August 8, 2024

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‘UCLA, here I come!’ Jordan Chiles to rejoin Bruins after medaling twice at Paris Olympics

U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles says she will return to UCLA for her final two seasons. She helped Team USA win the gold in the team competition and claimed the bronze in the floor event at the Paris Olympics. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

A lot has changed for Jordan Chiles this summer.

The gymnast won her first Olympic gold medal, helping the U.S. win. the team competition at the Paris Games last week.

She also claimed her first individual Olympic medal, bringing home the bronze Monday in the floor competition.

But, Chiles confirmed Thursday, she is still a Bruin.

The two-time NCAA national champion made the announcement in video with NBC’s “Today” show host Hoda Kotb.

“You all have been waiting for it — I am returning back to UCLA to represent the Bruins for my two remaining years of college,” Chiles said. “So you guys will see me back in Pauley [Pavilion] this season.”

“UCLA is so lucky!” Kotb exclaimed.

Chiles was a member of the U.S. gymnastics team that won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and also won team gold and individual silvers on vault and floor at the 2022 world championships. During her second season with the Bruins, in 2023, she won the national title on uneven bars and floor and was runner-up in the all-around competition.

Chiles helped create a viral moment earlier this week when she and teammate Simone Biles, who claimed the silver medal on floor, bowed to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil on the podium.

Now, after deferring her enrollment at UCLA last year to train for the Olympics, Chiles is coming back to Westwood.

“UCLA, here I come — finally!” she said in Thursday’s video.

Chiles’ U.S. teammate Jade Carey made a similar announcement Wednesday, telling fans at Oregon State that she will compete for the Beavers again next season.

Carey has medaled five times at NCAA national championships, including two silvers and a bronze in 2024. After claiming Olympic gold on the floor at the Tokyo Games, Carey took bronze on the vault to go with her team gold in Paris.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.