The LA 2028 Olympic Games are slowly drawing closer. As athletes begin to gear up for a chance at history, many women's sports icons have announced their comebacks, with their storylines promising to thrill in two years' time.

The biggest names making a return to competition in their respective sports include tennis legend Serena Williams, gymnast Suni Lee and track star Allyson Felix. Both Williams and Felix will be returning as the mothers of two children, while Lee’s story will be that of triumphing over the health issues that she has battled since 2023. For all three women, the LA Olympics will mark their first time competing at the Games on home ground, and the cheering crowd will undoubtedly be a major incentive for their comeback.

As female sporting icons from across America return to the biggest stage in the sporting world in an unprecedented trend, fans will get to witness tales of perseverance, grit and inspiration. With that in mind, here are the women to watch out for at the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

At only 23-years-old, Suni Lee is already one of Team USA's most decorated gymnasts. She has previously competed at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, winning six medals, including two golds.

When Lee originally stepped away from gymnastics after the Paris Olympics, fans had assumed that the Minnesota-native had stepped away from the sport for good. However, on July 14, 2026, Lee announced her return to training, sparking hopes for an Olympic comeback. While the American hasn't announced a clear competition schedule yet, she will likely hope to participate in the all-around and uneven bars event at LA 2028 in two years time.

Allyson Felix is the most decorated American track and field athlete in Olympic history. Competing in five consecutive Games, the 40-year-old has 11 medals to her name. Her last appearance at the Olympics came in 2020, where she picked up a bronze in the 400m and a gold in the 4 x 400m relay. The Los Angeles-native called time on her career two years later.

Now, with the LA 2028 Olympic Games taking place on her home turf, Felix announced that she would be returning to training in October later this year with the target of competing in the relay events at the next Games. The American admitted that the possibility of competing in front of a home crowd was the decisive factor behind her decision to return.

Jade Carey has previously competed at the 2020 and 2024 Games. Like her teammate Lee, Carey stepped away from elite gymnastics after the Paris Olympics, before making her comeback to the mat earlier this year.

In her previous appearances at the Games, the 26-year-old has picked up a bronze on the vault, a gold on the floor and another gold in the team event. While Carey wasn't active on the senior circuit for the past two years, she recently competed at the US Classic, where she came in second on the floor and all-around, while clinching gold on vault. For the LA 2028 Games, the 26-year-old will be gunning for a medal on the floor and vault, her individual specialties, while helping USA to victory in the team event.

A third gymnast returning to competition in time for the LA 2028 Olympic Games is Katelyn Ohashi. More than a decade ago, Ohashi was one of the brightest stars of Team USA, and she remains the last person to beat Simone Biles in the all-around event. However, the 29-year-old's elite career was cut short due to injuries and she opted to end her gymnastics journey as a collegiate star.

Most recently, Ohashi announced her return to the gym and competed at the US Classic, where she scored a combined 26.400 on the balance beam and floor exercise.

Serena Williams is undoubtedly one of the biggest sporting comebacks in time for LA. After some speculation about her return to tennis last year, the 44-year-old came out of retirement earlier this season, competing in both the women's singles and women's doubles event.

Williams' prior exploits at the Olympics include four gold medals, three in the doubles event partnered with her sister Venus Williams and one in the women's singles event at the 2012 London Games. With Serena Williams' recent comeback, there is a high chance fans will get to witness the iconic pairing of the Wiliams sisters return to action on home ground in two years’ time at LA 2028.

Sydney Mclaughlin-Levrone is a four-time Olympic gold medalist, a five-time World Champion and the reigning world record holder in the women's 400m hurdles. The American announced her pregnancy in late 2025, shortly after winning the 400m World Championships gold. She welcomed her baby daughter Savannah Michelle Levrone alongside husband Andre Levrone in July 2026.

Mclaughlin-Levrone will now likely return to competition in 2027, right in time for the next World Championships. After that, the 26-year-old is expected to shift her focus to the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

Jordan Larson is largely considered to be one of Team USA's greatest volleyball players of all-time. At the beginning of this year, the 39-year-old announced that this would be her final season as a competitive volleyball player, and she played her last match as part of the LOVB Nebraska in April.

However, shortly after this, Larson announced that she wasn't done with volleyball and would continue competing into the next season, leaving open the door for an outing at the LA2028 Games. The Nebraska native has previously competed in four Olympics, winning one bronze, two silver and one gold.

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