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In a very exciting development, this week Jordan Chiles announced her comeback via a short film on Instagram:
In the clip, Chiles drives a red convertible to a beach, where she walks barefoot and roasts marshmallows with friends. You would have no way of knowing what this was about if it weren’t for Michael Jordan, who comes in clutch to explain that Chiles is going to try for LA 2028.
Now, Michael Jordan doesn’t release a proof of life very often, but when he does, it’s to phone in a voiceover for an unnecessary, overproduced comeback announcement, ironic considering this man knows better than anyone that when it comes to announcements like these, just two words will suffice.
[Sidenote: I’ve made my feelings about MJ abundantly clear in this essay that no one read.]
This is the third time this year we’ve seen a top U.S. gymnast release a video to announce her comeback. Jade Carey’s, true to form, was a bit more understated; in fact, I got “kid chosen to read essay in front of class” vibes:
Sunisa Lee’s had “reality TV sneak peak” energy. She walks into a gym wearing business casual with the expression of a woman who gets to decide who makes it and who goes home:
I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised to see the production value of these announcements going up with the advent of NIL. NCAA athletes — and, I suppose, this generation in general *adjusts dentures* — are learning to market themselves better online, and for good reason.
Back in the old days, post-Olympics, one would either show up at a competition or quietly crumble into dust. Now, gymnasts are staying in the sport longer, and we’re seeing them get more public attention outside of the Olympics, in part due to opportunities provided by the NCAA.
Still, there’s a lot of time between Olympics. They need to market themselves to stay relevant and, one hopes, bring in those lucrative partnership deals that they have always deserved just as much as any other serious athlete.
Needless to say, Chiles’ clip is very much on brand — she is That Girl, after all — and it’s great to see that she’s giving this a go. Plus, we learned that she’s coming back to UCLA as a student coach.
What does this mean for Team USA? Four out of five members of the 2024 Olympic team are now trying for 2028. We’re just waiting on Simone. Could this be the first time the same team is chosen two Olympics in a row? Will Simone’s comeback announcement be a feature-length film? Will it be shot exclusively on IMAX cameras? Time will tell.
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Nemour shines at Mediterranean Games
Have we underestimated Kaylia Nemour? It would appear so, as she’s gone from being the world’s best bar worker to the world’s best gymnast over the course of a season.
This past week at the Mediterranean Games, she scored a 55.800 all-around in qualifications with a fall on bars. This put her into first place going into the all-around final. There, she easily won with a 57.750, including a far more appropriate 15.650 on bars and a 14.700 on beam. Then, she went ahead and won the beam final with a 13.300. Finally, she won bars with a 15.500 (7.1 D).
This puts Nemour ahead of Hezly Rivera for the top all-around score of the year. She’s up there on beam as well, thanks to the 14.933 she earned at African Champs; this is the sixth best score of the year. For bars, not only does she lead the field, but she holds six of the top 10 performances of the year.
Don’t get me wrong, Nemour has always been a great all-arounder — she came in fourth at worlds last year! But these results surpass anything she’s done in previous seasons.
Granted, competition hasn’t always been fierce — she hasn’t competed at an international meet with the top all-arounders yet this year. Still, these performances put her in the same pool as Angelina Melnikova and Elena Colas, and this will make for an exciting all-around final next month.
More news
Oksana Chusovitina declined her worlds spot, according to Gymnastics Now.
Shilese Jones looks awesome, and so does Sunisa Lee.
Rebeca Andrade is very busy with everything, but she did manage to put on a pair of grips.
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Fall meet calendar
Szombathely Challenge Cup (Szombathely)
Sept. 18-20
Nominative roster includes: Rebeca Andrade, Flavia Saraiva, Lorrane Oliveira, Dulcy Caylor, Tatum Drusch, Emily Roper, Abigail Roper, Marta Pihan-Kulesza
Asian Games (Nagoya, Japan)
Sept. 19-Oct. 4
Qualifications, which will also serve as the all-around final, will be held September 22. The team final will happen on Sept. 23, vault and bars on Sept. 24, and beam and floor on Sept. 25.
Paris Challenge Cup
Sept. 26-27
Nominative roster includes: Shallon Olsen, Elena Colas, Lorette Charpy, Maïana Prat, Alia Leat, Abigail Martin, Ruby Evans, Sabrina Voinea, Leila Vasileva, Lila Richardson, Izzy Stassi
U.S. Worlds Trials
Sep 31-Oct 1
Roster
World Championships (Rotterdam)
Oct 17-25
Qualifiers
Qualifications draw
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