Guess who’s back? Two of the “Golden Girls” are bringing their Olympic magic back to college gymnastics! That’s right, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey, fresh off their performances in Paris, are heading back to school. After Carey rejoins Oregon State, Chiles is also following her path and returning to UCLA. Both were part of the iconic squad led by Simone Biles that snagged team gold in Paris, and now they’re ready to light up the NCAA stage again. Carey, who added a vault bronze to her Olympic medal collection (bringing her total to three!), made her announcement as soon as she got back to Corvallis. Meanwhile, Chiles, who just missed a floor exercise bronze after it was awarded to Ana Barbosu, is gearing up for a strong comeback at UCLA.

Let’s talk eligibility: Carey has one year left, while Chiles has two after redshirting last season to focus on Paris. Both have said they thrive in the college environment. Carey has always credited her time at Oregon State for giving her the balance she needed to prep for the Olympics while competing for the Beavers. And Chiles? She admitted it was tough stepping away from UCLA to train for Paris, but she stayed connected to the team as much as she could. Now, she’s more than ready to dive back into the college scene and make her mark once again.

What’s wild is how similar their journeys have been. Carey, 24, went from winning floor gold in Tokyo to adding a team gold and vault bronze in Paris. Chiles, 23, won a Tokyo silver, followed it up with team gold in Paris, and was this close to a floor bronze there, too. Both crushed it in the NCAA, medaled at the 2022 Worlds on floor and vault, and then had a rough 2023, missing Worlds altogether. But their 2024 comebacks? Epic. Now, with their sights set on their college teams, these two are about to make NCAA gymnastics even more thrilling. For Jordan, returning to UCLA wasn’t just a choice; it was a fresh start after the rollercoaster ride of Paris. And given her past NCAA success, her 2025 season could be one for the books.

Jordan Chiles is about to change the NCAA forever!

Back in August, Jordan Chiles once again shined on the world’s biggest stage, adding an Olympic team gold to her collection. While there’s still some debate over her floor exercise bronze, the 23-year-old has already made waves by announcing her return to UCLA. And when she does, she’ll bring a ton of experience with her. Chiles first joined the Bruins after the 2020 Olympics and quickly became a star, leading the team in points in 2022 with a total of 432.775.

Chiles earned three ‘10’ scores, two of which came during the floor and one on the uneven bars. In addition, Chiles was an All-American on floor exercise while also achieving All-Pac-12 honors on vault, bars, and floor. In the next year, in 2023, she had an even better season where she took the NCAA uneven bar championship with a score of 10 and the floor championship with a score of 9.9875, besides being the second all-around champion in the NCAA by just .05. All in all, Chiles has earned eight first-team All-America honors and five tens, alongside an all-around high score of 39,900—the second-highest at UCLA.

In addition to her college achievements, Jordan Chiles has performed as a specialist for the U.S. National Team for more than a decade, having 11 appearances for the team. She is not only an Olympian but also a world champion—she conquered gold in the team final and silver on the vault and on the floor in 2022. She then won three more medals at the 2023 Pan American Games: team, individual silver, & bronze. However, for UCLA preparing for the 2025 season in January, Chiles will be accompanied by two other Olympic athletes, such as the 2024 Philippine Olympics representative, Emma Malabu, and the 2020 Canadian Olympics representative, Brooklyn Moors.

With all her experience and achievements, Chiles is sure to bring her A-game and make this season one to remember. Even she shared a piece of advice with teammates at UCLA, saying, “I wouldn’t be the two-time Olympian that I am today if it wasn’t for me realizing that this sport has more to it than just being, you know, gymnastics,” she said. “When I was in your position, my freshman year, I was similar, but I still was like, ‘No, I’m gonna, you know, this is college; you wanna have fun with it.” With this, we wish her good luck!