Jordan Chiles has been to the Olympics twice.

And her most recent venture – in Paris this summer – was after two years training with UCLA gymnastics.

She’ll be back in Pauley Pavilion this upcoming year, and after another two seasons performing her wizardry in Westwood, she’ll be edging ever closer to another Olympic medal in 2028.

There’s no denying that Chiles’ initial two years at UCLA were instrumental to her success at her second Olympics in the French capital.

Chiles walked away from her first Olympics with a silver medal, stepping in for teammate Simone Biles, who withdrew from the competition because of a gymnastics mental block termed the “twisties.” Despite a lack of preparation of Biles’ events, Chiles replaced the American gymnastics legend on bars and beam to complete an all-around day for Team USA.

That was even before Chiles became a Bruin. Following the Tokyo Olympics, Chiles arrived in Westwood and immediately placed her name among UCLA’s greatest athletes.

After her freshman year, Chiles represented Team USA in her first-ever World Championships – something she failed to do three separate times before stepping foot in Westwood as a freshman.

It was Chiles’ first time competing at the World Championships – but it sure didn’t look like it. She clinched a gold and two silver medals, tying with Shilese Jones as the most decorated American gymnast at the competition.

After Worlds and missing a majority of fall quarter, Chiles returned to UCLA her sophomore year, once again appearing stronger than ever. With more international experience under her belt, the floor in Pauley Pavilion looked like a playground to Chiles.

But after winning two titles at the NCAA championships that year, Chiles stepped away from Westwood to focus on training for the Olympics.

Chiles was on an upward trajectory that simply couldn’t be stopped. While she had already been to the Games, competing in the collegiate game was a training ground to heights she had never hiked before. The silver medal was the cherry on top of her Olympic experience in Tokyo, but Chiles craved something sweeter.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, her hankering was satisfied. Following her all-around performance in the women’s artistic gymnastics team final, she finally stood atop an Olympic podium, chomping on her gold medal.

Chiles now sits in the same predicament she was in after her first Olympics – she’s headed back to Westwood.

Having already competed in two Olympic Games, Chiles hasn’t closed the door to a third. She’s only 23 – why should she?

While gymnastics has long been regarded as a sport dominated by teenagers, that ideology is changing thanks to athletes such as Chiles. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Team USA’s Aly Raisman was called a grandma at 22.

In Paris, Chiles was four years younger than all-around gold medalist Biles. And Chiles has defied the age stereotype, only getting better with more experience.

With her history, Chiles is more than equipped to add a third Games to her repertoire. Two years at UCLA were an ingredient in her last Olympic recipe – and she has another two years in stock to replicate the procedure.

Barring any unexpected change of plans, Chiles will graduate from UCLA in 2026. That provides two years of opportunities to integrate an elite training regimen that could send Chiles to her third Games – and in the comfort of Los Angeles, too.

And with her deep-rooted connection to the city, the idea of Chiles making the 2028 Olympics just sounds right.