Jordan Chiles cried in her coach’s arms, stood on an Olympic podium with a bronze medal around her neck and then was memorialized in one of the viral moments of these Summer Games when she joined Simone Biles on the medal stand bowing to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade.
A court ruled Saturday that Chiles shouldn’t have been part of it.
After a judging inquiry boosted the American star from fifth place to third in the women’s floor exercise final Monday, the Romanian gymnastics federation filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing the inquiry that awarded Chiles the decisive additional tenth of a point came too late. In a partial acceptance of the petition published Saturday, the CAS ruled that Chiles’ inquiry came four seconds after the one-minute window allowed, and that her original score of 13.666 should stand.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) restored Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu to third. It was not immediately clear whether Chiles would be compelled to return her medal.
FIG spokesperson Meike Behrensen wrote in an email to The Associated Press that “reallocation of medals is the responsibility of the IOC.” The IOC did not immediately respond to an AP request for comment.
With her original score reinstated, Chiles stands fifth behind Barbosu and fellow Romanian Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who tied with a score of 13.700. Barbosu received the bronze because of a tiebreaker process that prioritized her higher execution score.
“We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise,” USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee said in a joint statement. “The inquiry into the difficulty value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring.
“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media. No athlete should be subject to such treatment. 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.”
Gina Chiles, Jordan’s mother, also posted on social media that her daughter was getting attacked in the aftermath of the floor competition.
“The racist disgusting comments are still happening in 2024,” she wrote. “I’m tired of people who say it no longer exists.”
Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, had inquired about the 23-year-old’s difficulty score, arguing she did not get full credit for a leap that requires her to complete a 540-degree turn in the air. Chiles was the last gymnast to compete on the floor exercise and when her initial score put her in fifth place, Barbosu started celebrating the bronze-medal finish with a Romanian flag. She was shuffled off the competition floor after Chiles’ score was changed.
Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu had said he would boycott the closing ceremony because of the original decision that kept the Romanian gymnasts off the podium.
The bronze was Chiles’ first individual Olympic medal. She has silver and gold medals from the team competition in 2021 and 2024, respectively. She announced this week she plans to return to UCLA for her final two seasons of eligibility.
Chiles, who has not posted recently on her social media channels, received a wave of support Saturday that ranged from teammates Simone Biles and Suni Lee to national celebrities, including the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.
