The women’s gymnastics team scored multiple medals for the U.S. in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but what's next for the talented women now affectionately known as the the golden girls?
The five members- Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera- took home not just a team gold medal but individual medals as well during most of the apparatus finals.
After so much success in Paris, what’s next for the group?
The question on everyone’s mind right now is which of the athletes, if any, will return for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
While none of the five have explicitly said “yes,” none have given a definitive “no” either.
In an interview with TODAY, Biles was asked about a return for 2028.
“Never say never. The next Olympics is on home turf, so you just never know,” Biles said.
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She went to add that for now she is going to relax and see where life takes her.
Coming up in August, Biles will go on a nationwide tour featuring an extensive list of gymnastics icons, including Paris Olympians Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles.
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The Gold Over America Tour kicks off on Sept. 16 in Oceanside, California.
Following the tour, both Carey and Chiles will return to collegiate gymnastics.
Chiles previously competed for two seasons with the UCLA Bruins before leaving college to focus on training for Paris. She’s leaving Paris with not only a team gold medal, but a bronze medal on the floor exercise as well.
She announced her return to the University of California Los Angeles on the TODAY show Thursday morning.
“UCLA here I come finally,” Chiles said.
In an interview with Olympics.com, Chiles said, “maybe you’ll see me in ’28.”
Carey, who grabbed the bronze medal in the vault final, is headed back to her college team at Oregon State University. She hasn’t commented on making an appearance at the 2028 Games.
The Oregon State University athletics Instagram account posted a photo of Carey, with the word “retire” crossed out and replaced with the word “return”.
“Let’s run it back beaver nation,” Carey posted to her Instagram story.
As for Suni Lee, who won gold in the all-around in 2020 and picked up all-around and uneven bars bronze medals in Paris, plans to start her life in New York City, according to Elle.
Lee told Elle “we’ll see” when asked about competing in 2028.
The youngest member of the team, and the only first-time Olympian, is Hezly Rivera.
Rivera is originally from Texas, and trains at the same gym as Olympic all-around champions Carly Patterson and Nastia Liukin.
According to NBC, Rivera originally had her sights set on the 2028 Games.
The abundance of injuries that took other gymnasts out of the running allowed her to clinch the last spot on the team to Paris.
Rivera has not said if she will make a run for Los Angeles 2028 or not.
