It's been a rough week for American gymnast Jordan Chiles.
The International Olympic Committee announced Sunday that it is stripping Chiles of the bronze medal she won in the women's gymnastics floor final at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and instead giving it to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu. USA Gymnastics appealed the ruling but was denied.
Chiles announced she was taking a break from social media over the weekend, but she returned Thursday to post a statement about the ongoing events.
"While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away," Chiles wrote. "I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This 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. To add to 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 represent my culture and my country."
The controversy began when the Romanian Federation of Gymnastics filed a protest with the International Gymnastics Federation and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding an appeal by Chiles's coach Cecile Landi.
Shortly after Chiles's score for her floor routine was announced as 13.666, Landi filed an inquiry to the judges that her difficulty score was too low. She won the challenge, bumping Chiles's score to 13.766—enough to leap from fifth place to third in the scoring.
However, an arbitral panel ruled that Landi made the appeal 64 seconds after the score was announced—four seconds over the allowed one-minute time limit to send in an inquiry. On Sunday, USA Gymnastics released video evidence that showed Landi actually submitted the challenge 47 seconds after the score was posted, but the organization's appeal was still denied.
"I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career," Chiles said. "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."
No matter what ends up happening to the bronze medal, Chiles will always be an Olympic gold medalist after helping Team USA win the all-around team final in Paris.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jordan Chiles Breaks Silence After Being Stripped of Olympic Bronze Medal.
