Jordan Chiles broke her silence after being stripped of her Olympic bronze medal. After her social media break, the gymnast took to Instagram on Aug. 15 to post a powerful statement regarding the controversy.
Chiles began her statement by acknowledging the overwhelming love and support she’s received since the controversy first made headlines on Aug. 10. She also expressed her gratitude for those in her life who supported her during this difficult time. Chiles then opened up about her feelings toward the situation surrounding her Olympic bronze medal. “While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away,” she wrote. Chiles went on to write that though she had confidence in the USA Gymnastics’s appeal after they submitted “conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules,” the appeal was unsuccessful.
“I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey,” she wrote. “To add the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represetn my culture and my country.”
Chiles competed in the women’s floor final on Aug. 5 at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Originally, the judges awarded the bronze medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu. During the competition, it was announced that Chiles was actually the one who earned the bronze medal. However, Chiles was later stripped of her medal after The Court of Arbitration for Sport claimed that Chiles’s coach was four seconds late inquiring about her score.
Though getting stripped of her medal was heartbreaking, Chiles is handling the situation with grace and is looking at the positive side of this negative situation. “I will never waver from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship, and the rules that dictate fairness,” her statement read. “I have taken pride in cheering on everyone regardless of team or country. Finding joy again has been a culture shift and I love seeing others embrace it. I feel like I have given everyone permission to be authentic to who they are.”
She ended her statement by sharing that she will continue to fight for justice.
“I will approach this challenge as I have others — and will make every effort to ensure justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing,” she concluded.
Immediately following her announcement, fans flooded Chiles’s comments with words of support. Her mom even took to X to repost the statement, which she captioned, “Hero & Daughter.” Chiles’s teammate, Suni Lee, also reposted the statement to her Instagram Story to show Chiles support.
We are all rooting for Chiles and hope this issue is situation settled soon.