Jordan Chiles made history this summer as one of two former Olympians to make the leap from elite gymnastics to NCAA gymnastics and back to elite.

And she’s not stopping there.

The world champion and UCLA gymnastics sophomore is back in Westwood training with the Bruins for the 2023 season, all the while still keeping an eye on a potential 2024 Paris Olympics run.

Chiles tried for a world championships berth four times before finally securing her spot on Team USA this year. She capitalized on that opportunity, bringing home gold and silver medals while representing her country at the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool, England.

She said the experience has taught her the importance of perseverance and faith, which she aspires to embrace in her collegiate campaign.

“Just being able to say that yes, I did try four times, and then I finally made it,” Chiles said. “Then I did an outstanding job there, and coming back home with medals and everything kind of just made me realize no matter how many times I’ve tried, I’ll still succeed.”

With so few athletes transitioning back and forth between elite gymnastics and collegiate gymnastics, it’s nearly uncharted territory. But Chiles has already made the same jump before, when she leaped right into the 2022 season with the Bruins after completing the “Gold Over America Tour” with Simone Biles following the 2020 Olympics.

Chiles said the transition feels virtually the same as it did last year.

“The transition from elite into college, I feel like it’s at an easier pace than last year considering that I did already do it once,” Chiles said. “Being able just to take the concept of kind of doing the same thing made me be able just to think about, ‘OK, well, I’ve done this before, so why not try it again?’”

At the program’s annual Meet the Bruins intrasquad in December, Chiles was already competing in the all-around alongside three other Bruins. Coach Janelle McDonald said Chiles is one of multiple gymnasts training on all four events.

The first-year head coach arrived in Westwood with experience coaching at both the collegiate and elite levels. She said Chiles is back with enthusiasm, and the team is excited to be training alongside her.

“To have her on our team with all her experience and just the joy she brings to the sport is something really special,” McDonald said. “We’re so excited she’s back and taking on this season with us. … From day one, just her energy – it raises the entire team.”

Behind the Bruins

Outside the gym, two Bruins are working to give fans an inside look at the program.

Junior Chae Campbell and sophomore Emma Malabuyo have launched “Behind the Bruins,” an Instagram account aiming to provide “behind the scenes footage of the student athlete life,” according to the account’s bio.

The pair are both majoring in communication, and according to Campbell, they’re hosting the program because they want to explore their interests in media while amplifying their teammates’ stories.

“We’re hoping to just kind of show how amazing our team is and stuff that you don’t see,” Campbell said. “There’s so many aspects to that. So we’re hoping to highlight those and just also share the personalities of our team.”

So far, the account has posted a teaser video by Deanna Hong and Sophia Lahmidi and has already amassed over 600 followers.

Campbell said they’re still working out how exactly they’ll differentiate “Behind the Bruins” from other vlog content the program has released before.

“It’s going to kind of come across as like a news broadcast,” Campbell said. “We’re still figuring out the kinks, and we’re working on the first episode now, so it should be good.”