By: Ethan Ding
Jordan Chiles, the Team USA gymnast, was in an unusual situation during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Initially finishing fifth in the floor exercise, she appealed the decision, leading to an upgrade to bronze.
During the August 5th final, Jordan Chiles was given an initial score of 13.666, which placed her in fifth place, two places behind competitor Romania’s Ana Bărbosu.*Bărbosu competed fifth and received a 13.700. Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, another Romanian gymnast, competed eighth and received a 13.700.Bărbosu stayed in third place, ahead of Maneca-Voinea, because of a higher execution score.
Maneca-Voinea’s score reflected a one-tenth deduction for a step out of bounds, but the Romanian gymnast has since asserted she did not go out of bounds. Her coach did not ask for a review on the final day.
Chiles, performing last, received a 13.666, placing her fifth. As the large screen inside Bercy Arena displayed the score, Bărbosu celebrated with a Romanian flag.
However, Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, felt the judges hadn’t awarded Chiles full credit for a leap, which resulted in the gymnast’s difficulty score showing a 5.8 instead of the intended 5.9. Landi filed an inquiry to the judges to question Chiles’ difficulty score. After a review, the judges agreed that Chiles deserved the extra tenth for executing the leap. They raised her score to 13.766, which pushed her into third over Bărbosu.
After that controversial call, Chiles screamed in excitement hugging her coach while Bărbosu dropped her Romania flag and cried while she walked off the floor in tears.
However, after a few days, Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her 3rd place medal.
*”The initial error occurred in the scoring by FIG, and the second error was during the CAS appeal process, where the USOPC was not given adequate time or notice to effectively challenge the decision,” the CAS continued.
“As a result, we were not properly represented or allowed to present our case comprehensively. Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to ensure that Jordan Chiles receives the recognition she deserves. We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly.”
After the ruling in favor of the Romanian gymnasts on Saturday, it was left to the IOC and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to determine if Chiles would be stripped of her medal or if she’d share it with Barbosu. On Sunday, the IOC said Chiles has to return her medal.
After, Chiles stated: *Chiles, who left Paris after the competition to return home to the U.S., went dark on social media shortly before the CAS decision became public.
Chiles posted on X not long after the final that “it’s funny how some people can still never be happy for someone.”
But in her Instagram story Saturday, the Olympic gymnast posted a series of broken heart emojis and said she’d be “removing myself from social media for my mental health.”
The two-time Olympian has been subject to attacks on her various social media platforms recentlys, with some critics suggesting she give the medal back.
USA Gymnastics, in a joint statement with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, said Chiles had been subject to “consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media.”
“No athlete should be subject to such treatment,” the statement read, in part. “We condemn the attacks and those who engage, support or instigate them. We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her.”
The IOC’s decision has sparked controversy, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is appealing the ruling on her behalf. It’s a reminder that even in elite sports, unexpected twists can alter an athlete’s journey to the podium.