Jordan Chiles SPEAKS OUT on Olympic Medal Controversy: “This Decision Feels Unjust”

.

.

.

Full video:

Jordan Chiles Breaks Silence on “Significant Blow” of Losing Olympic Medal

After gymnast Jordan Chiles was stripped of her Olympic bronze medal—which was given to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu—the 23-year-old shared her thoughts on the controversy.

Jordan Chiles is not holding back her disappointment.

After the 23-year-old Olympic gymnast was stripped of her floor routine bronze medal win due to a lesser-known gymnastics rule, she shared her reaction to the controversial decision and subsequent support from fans.

“I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days,” Jordan started off a lengthy note shared to her social media Aug. 15. “I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans USAG, and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time.”

Initially, Jordan explained that she chose to maintain faith that the appeals made by the U.S. to the Court of Arbitration for Sport—which reversed the initial inquiry submitted by her coach Cecile Landi due to it being four seconds past the deadline—would be successful. However, they were not.

“I have no words,” Jordan continued. “This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey.”

She also shared a note to her detractors.

“To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful,” she penned. “I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.”

And the UCLA student emphasized that—despite the disappointment—she has not given up on her sport.

“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,” she added. “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.”

The Team USA gymnast—who competed alongside Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera at the Paris 2024 Games—concluded by discussing the road ahead.

Kyle Okita/CSM/Shutterstock

“I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career,” she admitted. “Believe me when I say I have had many. I will approach this challenge as I have others—and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”

Blondet Eliot/ABACA/Shutterstock

After Jordan’s medal was stripped, the title was allocated to Ana Barbosu, who initially won the bronze prior to Landi’s score inquiry during the Aug. 5 individual floor competition. The Romanian gymnast shared a statement in support of herself, her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea—whose own score appeal was rejected—and Jordan following the polarizing decision.

“Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you,” Ana wrote on Instagram Aug. 11. “I know what you are feeling, because I’ve been through the same. But I know you’ll come back stronger. I hope from deep [in] my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share [the] same podium. This is my true dream!”

Keep reading for a breakdown of the medal controversy.

Naomi Baker/Getty Images

August 5

One week after Team USA won gold in the artistic gymnastics women’s team final at the 2024 Olympics, Jordan Chiles set out to win her first individual Olympic medal at the women’s floor exercise final.

As the last athlete to compete in the event, she knew she’d have to beat the scores of Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (14.166), USA’s Simone Biles (14.133) and Romania’s Ana Barbosu (13.700) if she wanted to make podium. After performing her Beyoncé-inspired routine, Chiles received a score of 13.666, landing her in fifth place.

Mehmet Murat Onel/Anadolu via Getty Images

But then her coaches submitted an inquiry upon her behalf. According to NBC Olympics, “an inquiry is a verbal challenge of a routine’s score. It is followed by a written inquiry that must be submitted before the end of the rotation. The challenge can only be brought forward after the gymnast’s final score is posted and before the end of the next gymnast’s routine.”

If the gymnast is the last to compete, there is a one-minute time limit that begins after the score is shown on the scoreboard, according to the International Gymnastic Federation (FIG).

The scoring inquiry was about a split leap in Chiles’ routine called the tour jeté full.

“In the team qualification, in the team final, she did not get credit for this skill,” Olympian and NBC gymnastics analyst John Roethlisberger said during the broadcast. “In the initial evaluation of the skill, the judges did not give her credit for that. I talked to Cecile and Laurent Landi, her coaches, and they said, ‘We thought she did it much better here in the final. So we thought we have nothing to lose, let’s put in an inquiry.’”

After reviewing Chiles’ routine, the judges accepted the inquiry and credited Chiles 0.1 for the leap, bumping her score up to 13.766 for third place.

As a result, Chiles—who burst into happy tears when she saw the results—won bronze. Meanwhile, Barbosu, who’d already been waving Romania’s flag in celebration of her own performance, lost her place on the podium.

Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

Afterwards, Barbosu—who was crying as she left Bercy Arena—reacted to the news on social media.

“Thank you everyone for the support messages!” she wrote on Instagram. “I will take a break from the social media.”