Source: Naomi Baker / Getty
The 2024 Paris Olympics are over, but the drama from the games continues.
Gymnast Jordan Chiles was stripped of her Olympic bronze medal for the floor exercise. Now, she’s finally speaking out about the heartbreaking situation, the moment it happened, and the support she’s received since in an Instagram post.
“I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days. I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG, and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time,” she wrote. “While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away. I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.”
The 23-year-old took home the bronze medal after initially finishing fifth in the competition behind two Romanian gymnasts, Ana Bărbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.
However, she wound up in third after USA coach Cecile Landi successfully lobbied that the judges did not correctly include Chiles’ difficulty score. So officials adjusted Chiles’ score by 0.1 points to 13.766, which allowed her to top the two Romanians.
However, the Romanian National Olympic Committee protested the move, saying Chile’s team didn’t submit the inquiry in time—-64 seconds too late, to be exact—and the IOC ruled in the Romanian’s favor and gave Ana Bărbosu the bronze medal.
In her message, Chiles explains how devastated she is that the appeal wasn’t ruled in her favor.
“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,” she wrote. “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.”
Still, Chiles promises to treat this challenge like all others in her life, bulldoze it, and continue to be successful.
See how outraged social media was with the medal stripping below.
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