Jordan Chiles Set to Return To Bruins Gymnastic Team After Olympic Controversy

Jeremy Hanna | Aug 11, 2024

Aug 5, 2024; Paris, France; Jordan Chiles of the United States poses for a photo with her gold and bronze medasl after day three of the gymnastics event finals during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles has exciting news for all the UCLA Bruins fans out there.

During an appearance on Today, Chiles announced that she would be returning to UCLA Gymnastics in 2025 after her appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"I am returning back to UCLA to represent the Bruins for my two remaining years of college," Chiles said on Thursday, August 8. "So, you guys will see me back in Pauley [Pavilion] this season."

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This is exciting news, especially considering Chiles' success at the NCAA level. She first joined the UCLA Bruins' Women's Gymnastics Team in December 2021. She made her NCAA debut on January 17, 2022, in a meet against Iowa and Minnesota.

In her first two years with UCLA, Chiles has earned eight career perfect ten scores, four in Floor Exercise and four in Uneven Bars, with the most recent occurring on April 13, 2023, at the NCAA Championship Semifinal.

She has earned four gold medals: Two at the Pac-12 Championships and two at the NCAA championships, split evenly between Uneven Bars and Floor Exercise. She has also earned silver in team competition at the 2022 Pac-12 Championships and silver in All-Around at the 2023 NCAA Championships.

Chiles is also a two-time Olympic medalist, earning the silver medal in the Team category at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and gold in the same category this year in Paris. While Chiles also earned the bronze medal in Floor Exercise this year, some controversy surrounds the event.

After her initial performance, Chiles was awarded a score of 13.666. After a challenge by her coach, the score was increased to 13.7, bringing her up to third place and knocking Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu to fourth.

The Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed the challenge, saying that the coach made the challenge four seconds after the minute deadline. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed, putting Chiles back at her original score and dropping to fifth place.

This was particularly devastating for Chiles because it was her first individual medal at the Olympic level, and she has since taken a break from social media for her mental health. The USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee are appealing the decision.

While this has been a disappointing time for Chiles and fans of the talented gymnast, it's still exciting to hear that she will be returning to UCLA next year. Hopefully, she'll come back to the Olympics in 2028 to get the individual medal she deserves.

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