They already have Olympic medals. They have experienced the pressure of competing for gold. Yet, instead of walking away, several members from Paris 2024 are choosing to give it another shot. Suni Lee and Jade Carey are already back in the gym, while Simone Biles has kept the door open for a possible LA28 return. Their comebacks have thrilled fans, but they have also sparked a familiar debate: should Olympic veterans step aside and give the younger generation a chance? Well, former Olympic Medalist, Chellsie Memmel does not think so.

“I don’t think we should tell somebody that they have to stop a sport that they love. I understand where that is coming from, of saying, let somebody else… but also it’s a competitive sport. It’s a competitive sport, and if there is the want and the drive to try again, I don’t think we should tell somebody that they can’t do something,” Memmel said as shared by Gymnastics Now on August 8.

And Memmel is hardly speaking from the sidelines. She knows exactly what it means to return when most athletes would have already walked away. At 32, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist came out of a nine-year competitive retirement in 2021. She returned at the U.S. Classic before competing in three events at the U.S. Championships. Her comeback did not end with another Olympic appearance.

Memmel finished 25th at the U.S. Championships and ultimately did not make the Tokyo Olympic team. But her return still showed that an athlete’s age or past achievements should not decide when they have to walk away from a sport they still love. Now, years later, Memmel is watching another generation of veterans make that same choice.

With Carey, Lee and other experienced gymnasts returning to the elite scene, she believes their presence is good for both the athletes themselves and the sport.

“Kind of going in with the mindset that everybody is going to come back and then just, you know, that’s where our head’s at. And then, you know, as it started happening, it’s great. I think it’s great for them. It’s great for the sport.”

Now working as USA Gymnastics High Performance Technical Lead, Chellsie Memmel added, “They’ve been very forthcoming and open with communication, which is, you know, awesome. So I’m excited.” For Memmel, the point is simple. A comeback does not guarantee anyone a place on the Olympic team. The returning stars still have to compete, stay healthy and prove they are good enough to make the cut.

But for each athlete making that return, earning another chance means something different, especially after everything they have already endured.

Suni, Jade and Simone’s very different roads back to LA28

Suni Lee’s path to elite gymnastics has already faced one of the most daunting hurdles in her career. In 2023, Lee was diagnosed with two kidney diseases, forcing her to step away from gymnastics and leaving her future in the sport uncertain. She later came back for Paris 2024, where she helped the USA team win gold and also picked up two individual bronze medals.

Lee took another break after Paris. But the Olympic champion clearly felt there was more she wanted to accomplish. On July 14, 2026, she announced that she was returning to training for another shot at LA28. “I know what I’m capable of,” Lee said in her comeback announcement, making it clear that she was willing to do whatever it takes to get back to the Olympic stage. She later explained that she felt she still had “so much more in the tank.”

Jade Carey has taken a different route back. After competing at Paris 2024, Carey believed her elite career was over. At just 24, she had already competed at two Olympics and won gold at both. But after some time away, she realized she was not ready to walk away and began training again with LA28 in mind.

Then there is Simone Biles, whose situation is perhaps the most intriguing. Biles has not announced that she is returning. Instead, she remains undecided about LA28. Still, she has never completely closed the door on competing in Los Angeles, meaning the possibility of seeing her at a fourth Olympics remains alive.

That makes each story different. None of them needs another medal to prove who they are. They simply want to find out whether they still have more to give.