By: Ben Xu

August 5, 2024 — American gymnast Jordan Chiles placed third in the women’s gymnastics floor exercise finals. However, a week later, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said the bronze medal would be transferred to Aha Bărbosu of România, who was previously the 4th place finisher.

At the competition held in Paris’ Bercy Arena, the gymnasts performed in random order. Bărbosu was 5th in line and placed in 3rd place (for the moment) with a score of 13.700. Chiles, who was last in line, earned a score of 13.666, which put her in 5th place. Cecile Landi, Chiles’ coach, filled out an inquiry saying that Chiles’ leap was a difficulty of 5.9, not 5.8. The judges agreed with the inquiry and Chiles’ score increased to 13.766. Chiles moved up to 3rd place, pushing Bărbosu to 4th. That evening, Chiles had stood on the podium as the Women’s gymnastics floor bronze medalist.

However, the next day, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation said in an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) that the inquiry was 4 seconds after the 1 minute deadline. The CAS agreed the inquiry submission came in too late and said that Chile’s initial score of 13.666 should be restored. The CAS gave the final ranking and medal assignments to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The FIG placed Bărbosu in 3rd but gave the bronze medal decision to the IOC. Finally, the IOC decided to transfer the bronze medal to Bărbosu.

After realizing the IOC’s decision, Chiles posted 4 broken hearts on Instagram. She showed her despair, knowing that she had been stripped of earning her first bronze medal. Bărbosu said to Chiles, “I know very well that it hurts, because I have been through the same states. But I know you and I’m sure you’ll have the strength to come back even stronger. I sincerely hope that at the next Olympic Games we will be on the same podium. This is my dream.” Bărbosu showed empathy and respect to Chiles, telling her to stay strong, because the next Olympics is another chance to rise.