If you’ve been keeping up with the 2024 Paris Olympics, then you’ve likely heard discourse surrounding Jordan Chiles. ICYMI, Chiles was awarded the Bronze Medal on Aug. 5 following the women’s gymnastics’ individual floor event.
Aside from landing her first solo medal, Chiles made history alongside Simone Biles and Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade as one of the three Black gymnasts to stand atop the Olympic podium (at the same time) for the first time ever. There were even videos of Chiles crying tears of joy after learning that her overall score had landed her in third place.
Everything was fine and dandy until it was announced on Aug. 10 that Chiles would lose her bronze medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu after an appeal was filed. But in an even more shocking turn of events, multiple news outlets reported on Aug. 11 that Chiles might not lose her bronze medal after all as new evidence has since been submitted by USA Gymnastics.
So, how did Chiles end up in this predicament? Let’s discuss.
The first dispute surrounding Chiles’ score in the individual floor competition came after she originally placed fifth and the USA Gymnastics submitted an inquiry questioning if the judges accounted the right amount of points for her score. After further investigation, it was found the judges hadn’t tallied in a leap Chiles performed and she was awarded a tenth of a point back to her score, elevating her from fifth to third place.
Chiles admitted she didn’t even know her coaches had submitted the inquiry, though she was ecstatic to receive her first solo medal of any kind.
After learning of USA Gymnastics’ inquiry, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) repealed the ruling of Chiles’ score on Aug. 10. They released a statement explaining that Chiles’s coach submitted the request four seconds after the one minute limit to inquire about scoring. The International Gymnastics Federation corroborated with the CAS’s decision and announced that Barbosu, who came in fourth place, was the new recipient of the bronze medal.
This ruling ignited even more controversy, and rightfully so. After the ruling, Chiles took to her Instagram story to announce she was taking a break from social media. Biles offered her teammate support on her Instagram stories, writing, “Keep your chin up ‘Olympic champ’ we love you.”
Barbosu took to her Instagram to address the situation and express her admiration for Chiles. She also addressed her teammate, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who originally placed fifth and was also impacted by the rulings. “Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you are feeling, because I’ve been through the same. But I know you’ll come back stronger,” she wrote.
“This situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation,” Barbosu added. “We, athletes are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful. I wanted to end this edition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world.”
Obviously, the circumstances are not great for anyone involved. Some have called for Chiles to still receive her medal while also awarding Babosu the accolade. It’s disheartening to learn that Chiles was going to lose the bronze medal, but the USA Gymanstics is still fighting for her medal to be reinstated. On Aug. 11, they released a statement announcing that they’ve submitted more evidence backing Chiles and the timing her coaches submitted their original inquiry.
“SA Gymnastics formally submitted a letter and video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, conclusively establishing that Head Coach Cecile Landi’s request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after the publishing of the score, within the 1-minute deadline required by FIG [International Gymnastics Federation] rule,” they wrote on the official USA Gymanstics Instagram.
Not all hope is lost for Chiles, but it’s unclear when a new ruling will be be settled upon. It will be interesting to see if she’s able to keep her bronze medal after all. Only time will tell, but I must say, I’m rooting for Chiles and hope she’s taking care of her mental health in this confusing time.