Jordan Chiles Bronze Medal Issue: Everything You Need to Know So Far
USA Gymnast, Jordan Chiles, won a bronze medal on the floor exercise, and technical issues have arisen about whether she will keep her placement.
On August 5, the two-time Olympic champion stepped on the floor in Paris, completing a show-stopping routine during the individual event finals. When Chiles received a score of 13.666 placing her fifth, just 0.034 points away from Romania’s Ana Barbosu in third, the night filled with confusion and questions. Barbosu and her teammate, Sabrina Voinea, earned the same score of 13.7, but since Barbosu earned higher execution, it placed her ahead. The two celebrated their achievement, while Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, filed an inquiry on her score.
Landi noticed that the gymnast received one-tenth lower than her normal maximum D-score. The judges accepted the inquiry, her score raised to 13.766 bumping her up to third place. Unable to conceal her emotions, the athlete fell to the floor with tears in her eyes.
The Olympian took to the podium with her teammate, Simone Biles, in second, and bowed to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade who won gold. The moment made gymnastics history as the first podium with three Black individuals.
Soon after, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation (FRG) filed a complaint with the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the inquiry. The complaint was not towards the gymnast but rather stated that Landi placed the inquiry after the one-minute deadline. Even if the coach had summited the inquiry just seconds after the deadline, the judges should not have accepted it. On Saturday, the court ruled that the athlete’s inquiry was accepted at a minute and four seconds. They restored her original score of 13.666, placing her back in fifth, and took the matter to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
Chiles posted three broken heart emojis on her Instagram story following a post that stated she was taking time away from social media for the sake of her mental health. Her teammates, Suni Lee and Jade Carey, posted in support, “What about the judges?,” and, “Don’t punish the athlete for someone else’s mistake.”
This is what broke them. Three Black women champions basking in joy & sisterhood was too much. Jordan Chiles will always be an Olympic gold medalist to me. I hope she's surrounded with love right now. pic.twitter.com/jRfLcytV3Q
— Dr. Tracy (@tracyrenee70) August 10, 2024
The USOPC and USA Gymnastics stated they were “devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise. The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring.”
The FRG pressed the initiative to award bronze medals to all three athletes: Chiles, Bărbosu, and Maneca-Voinea. The American Federation agreed, but unfortunately “the IOC will reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu (Romania). We are in touch with the [National Olympic Committee] of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal.”
Wow, what a crazy turn of events in the gymnastics competition! So sad for Jordan Chiles – she definitely deserved that bronze medal after her amazing performance. It just seems unfair that a technicality could take away from her hard work and dedication. Hopefully, the US
— Tina Brown (@BrownTina79856) August 15, 2024
The athlete and her team are not returning the medal without a fight. USOPC stated, “We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed.” The committee further added, “We are committed to pursuing an appeal to ensure that Jordan Chiles receives the recognition she deserves.”
On Sunday, the gymnast’s coach released video evidence that proved the inquiry was submitted within the deadline at exactly forty-seven seconds. This evidence proved that the gymnast’s score was accurate and legally correct.
Monday morning, USA Gymnastics made a statement to the public.
Statement from USA Gymnastics on CAS Notice: pic.twitter.com/HoSiKjx9wl
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 12, 2024
The news spread across social media and fans were devastated for all three gymnasts. American rapper, Flavor Flav, bounced around the Paris Games and is most notably known for wearing a giant clock necklace. To show his support, Flav wanted to reward Chiles with a piece of hardware exclusive to her. He posted to X, stating, “Imma always a man of my word.”
Ayyy YOOOO @ChilesJordan ,,, imma make you a BRONZE CLOCK NECKLACE,,, and that’s something NO ONE else has,!!! Hit me up my girl,,, I gotchu,!!! pic.twitter.com/qFVzkgkx25
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) August 11, 2024
Check out the USA Gymnastics website to follow along with any additional news regarding Jordan Chiles’ placement.
