US Gymnastics Addresses Jordan Chiles’ Appeal For Her Bronze Medal

Jordan Chiles, a US gymnast competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was told to return her first bronze medal after an improper ruling. 

The ruling declared that Ana Barbosu from Romania would receive the bronze medal. The medal was originally awarded for the floor exercise, on which the Court of Arbitration of Sport ruled she was unfairly moved up from fifth place. She originally placed fifth, but an inquiry was submitted to the judges, and she received a tenth back on her final score. The International Olympic Committee said that the inquiry shouldn’t have been allowed, which meant that Chiles had to return her medal.

Furthermore, according to USA Today, the court had found that the inquiry that was submitted past the one-minute deadline should not have been granted. Additionally, the court said that Chiles should have received a score of 13.666, which would’ve placed her in fifth place, leaving her close to the Olympic podium. 

The International Gymnastics Federation confirmed on Saturday, August 10, that Chiles’s score had been reinstated and that Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosa had been moved back into third place. 

“All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges?” Chiles’ teammate Sunisa Lee wrote on Instagram. “Completely unacceptable. This is awful and I’m gutted for Jordan.”

A move called Gogean, which is a spilt leap with a 1.5 turn which was not given credit by the judges. Upon further review, Chiles earned full credit for the leap. 

“I have no words, but I’m so proud of myself,” said Chiles in a raspy voice. “So losing my voice means everything, because it takes a while for me to do that.”

According to CNN, the United States is appealing the ruling and USA Gymnastics announced on Sunday, August 11 that it has submitted additional evidence to the court to have Chiles medal restored. However, on Monday, the Court of Abitration for Sport (CAS) rejected Chiles’ appeal to be reinstated with the bronze metal.

“USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” the USA Gymnastics shared in a statement on Instagram. “We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan.”

Chiles was competing against Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who both matched with scores of 13.7. According to CBS News, Barbosu thought she had won bronze over Maneca-Voinea with a tiebreaker and began celebrating with the Romanian Flag. 

Chiles was the last competitor to finish with a score of 13.666, right behind Maneca-Vornea. Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, called for an investigation, and after a review, judges awarded Chiles a 0.1, landing her with a bronze medal and beating Maneca-Vornea and Barbosu.