Jordan Chiles Was "Heart Is Broken" After Olympic Medal Was Stripped

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One week aft Team USA won gold successful the creator gymnastics women’s squad last astatine the 2024 Olympics, Jordan Chiles acceptable retired to triumph her archetypal idiosyncratic Olympic medal astatine the women’s level workout final.

As the past jock to vie successful the event, she knew she’d person to bushed 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 marque podium. After performing her Beyoncé-inspired routine, Chiles received a people of 13.666, landing her successful 5th place.

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But past her coaches submitted an enquiry upon her behalf. According to NBC Olympics, “an enquiry is simply a verbal situation of a routine’s score. It is followed by a written enquiry that indispensable beryllium submitted earlier the extremity of the rotation. The situation tin lone beryllium brought guardant aft the gymnast’s last people is posted and earlier the extremity of the adjacent gymnast’s routine.”

If the gymnast is the past to compete, determination is simply a one-minute clip bounds that begins aft the people is shown connected the scoreboard, according to the International Gymnastic Federation (FIG).

The scoring enquiry was astir a divided leap successful Chiles' regular called the circuit jeté full. 

“In the squad qualification, successful the squad final, she did not get recognition for this skill,” Olympian and NBC gymnastics expert John Roethlisberger said during the broadcast. “In the archetypal valuation of the skill, the judges did not springiness her recognition for that. I talked to Cecile and Laurent Landi, her coaches, and they said, ‘We thought she did it overmuch amended present successful the final. So we thought we person thing to lose, let’s enactment successful an inquiry.’”

After reviewing Chiles’ routine, the judges accepted the enquiry and credited Chiles 0.1 for the leap, bumping her people up to 13.766 for 3rd place.

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Afterwards, Barbosu—who was crying arsenic she near Bercy Arena—reacted to the quality connected societal media. 

“Thank you everyone for the enactment messages!” she wrote connected Instagram. “I volition instrumentality a interruption from the societal media.”

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Chiles besides shared what the jaw-dropping infinitesimal was similar for her. 

“There were truthful galore emotions, truthful galore things going done my caput erstwhile I recovered retired I got that bronze medal,” the Olympian recalled connected Good Morning America. “I couldn’t beryllium much arrogant of myself. Ana Barbosu—she’s an astonishing athlete. She’s done astonishing things wrong her gymnastics arsenic well. So, I’m precise arrogant of myself but besides precise arrogant of her arsenic well.”

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Meanwhile, manager Cecile Canqueteau-Landi clapped backmost aft a societal media idiosyncratic accused the U.S. coaches of cheating truthful Chiles could medal. 

"I shouldn’t person to explicate but I volition ONCE,” she wrote connected Instagram successful effect to a commenter. “Jordan’s highest imaginable SV [start value] connected level is simply a 5.9. At quals and squad finals, she received a 5.8 and we didn’t question it due to the fact that we saw that not each elements were completed.” 

But during level finals, she thought Chiles performed “better and being placed 5th with thing to lose, I sent the enquiry truthful I wouldn’t regret not asking.” 

“I didn’t deliberation it would beryllium accepted and astatine my astonishment it was,” Canqueteau-Landi continued. “Jordan won this bronze medal and I didn’t bargain thing from anyone. I simply did my occupation and fought for my athlete. Do I consciousness atrocious for the Romanian athlete? Of people I do! It was truthful bittersweet and heartbreaking to spot but it is the sport! You don’t person to similar it but you bash person to respect the result and much importantly respect Jordan and not resistance her down due to the fact that you disagree. She EARNED that bronze medal, her 1st idiosyncratic Olympic medal and I couldn’t beryllium much arrogant and excited!”

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However, not everyone shared her excitement arsenic the Romanian Federation of Gymnastics filed appeals connected behalf of Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who placed fourth. The Romanian Federation of Gymnastics claimed the enquiry connected behalf of Chiles was made aft the one-minute deadline and disputed a 0.1 execution punishment Maneca-Voinea had received.

Prime curate of Romania Marcel Ciolacu besides announced connected Aug. 6 that helium would not beryllium attending the Olympics Closing Ceremony aft helium alleged the 2 athletes were “treated successful an perfectly dishonorable manner.”

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Days later, Chiles’ parent Gina called retired the “racist disgusting comments” she was seeing online. 

“I'm bushed of radical who accidental it nary longer exists,” she wrote connected X. “My girl is simply a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest bosom and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched...and she's being called disgusting things.”

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The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Barbosu’s entreaty and decided the enquiry submitted connected behalf of Chiles “was raised aft the decision of the one-minute deadline.” As a result, the tribunal said Chiles’ archetypal people of 13.666 would beryllium reinstated. It dismissed Maneca-Voinea’s exertion regarding her execution penalty. 

Following the court’s decision, the FIG amended the results to bespeak Chiles’ archetypal score.

USA Gymnastics expressed its disappointment implicit the court’s decision.

“We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s level exercise,” they said successful a statement. “The enquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ level workout regular was filed successful bully religion and, we believed, successful accordance with FIG rules to guarantee close scoring.” 

“Throughout the entreaty process, Jordan has been taxable to consistent, utterly baseless and highly hurtful attacks connected societal media,” USA Gymnastics continued. “No jock should beryllium taxable to specified treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who engage, enactment oregon instigate them. We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity some connected and disconnected the contention floor, and we proceed to basal by and enactment her.”

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USA gymnasts Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera expressed their support for Chiles. 

"Don't punish the jock for idiosyncratic else's mistake," Carey wrote connected Instagram Stories. "With you each the mode Jo. You are everlastingly an Olympic champion that has truthful overmuch to beryllium arrogant of." 

Meanwhile, Romanian Prime Minster Ciolacu celebrated Barbosu being moved backmost to 3rd place—writing connected Facebook, “Justice has been served.”

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The International Olympic Committee said Chiles has to instrumentality her bronze medal.

"Following the CAS determination with respect to the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Floor Exercise Final and the amendment of the ranking by the International Gymnastics Federation, the IOC volition reallocate the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu (Romania),” the IOC told NBC News. “We are successful interaction with the NOC of Romania to sermon the reallocation ceremonial and with USOPC regarding the instrumentality of the bronze medal."

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Soon after, Barbosu reflected connected the decision.

“Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you,” the 18-year-old wrote connected Instagram Stories Aug. 11. “I cognize what you are feeling, due to the fact that I’ve been done the same. But I cognize you’ll travel backmost stronger. I anticipation from heavy of my bosom that astatine the adjacent Olympics, each 3 of america volition stock aforesaid podium. This is my existent dream.” 

“This concern would not person existed if the persons successful complaint had respected the regulation,” she continued. “We athletes are not to beryllium blamed, and the hatred directed to america is painful. I wanted to extremity this variation of the Olympics Games Paris 2024 successful the tone of Olympism, the existent worth of the world.”

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However, USA Gymnastics insisted its enquiry connected behalf of Chiles had been submitted wrong the indispensable timeframe and alleged it had grounds to beryllium it.

“USA Gymnastics connected Sunday formally submitted a missive and video grounds to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, conclusively establishing that Head Coach Cecile Landi’s petition to record an enquiry was submitted 47 seconds aft the publishing of the score, wrong the 1-minute deadline required by FIG rule,” the gymnastics enactment said successful an Aug. 11 statement. “In the letter, USA Gymnastics requests that the CAS ruling beryllium revised and Chiles’ bronze-medal people of 13.766 reinstated.” 

USA Gymnastics said the “time-stamped, video evidence” shows Canqueteau-Landi archetypal stating “her petition to record an enquiry astatine the enquiry array 47 seconds aft the people is posted, followed by a 2nd connection 55 seconds aft the people was primitively posted.”

“The video footage provided was not disposable to USA Gymnastics anterior to the tribunal’s decision,” it continued, “and frankincense USAG did not person the accidental to antecedently taxable it.”

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One time aft submitting the missive and video, USA Gymnastics revealed it had been notified by CAS that "their rules bash not let for an arbitral grant to beryllium reconsidered adjacent erstwhile conclusive caller grounds is presented."

"We are profoundly disappointed by the notification," USAG said successful a statement, "and volition proceed to prosecute each imaginable avenue and entreaty process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to guarantee the conscionable scoring, placement, and medal grant for Jordan."