Gymnastics is full of twists and turns but the unfolding saga over which gymnast will officially take home the bronze in the 2024 Olympic women’s artistic floor exercise final has been more complicated than anyone expected.
USA gymnast Jordan Chiles was stripped of her first individual Olympic medal after the Romanian gymnastics team challenged her final score. Team USA has appealed the ruling from a panel of judges and the battle for bronze is far from over.
Here’s what you need to know.
The competition was fierce – and it was always going to be close
The gymnastics women’s floor exercise final was already set to be a nail-biter before Chiles stepped onto the mat for the final performance on August 5. Romania’s Ana Bǎrbosu and her teammate, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, were tied with a score of 13.700.
Chiles’ chance to earn her first individual medal and grace the Olympic podium would come down to a mere tenth of a point.
The 23-year-old gymnast confidently executed her floor routine to a Beyoncé medley and all three athletes waited anxiously for the judges to announce her score.
Chiles was initially awarded a score of 13.666, placing her in fifth place. But as the stadium erupted in celebration over Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade’s gold medal, USA Gymnastics Coach Cecile Landi filed an inquiry over Chiles’ difficulty score.
Minutes later, Chiles was first to notice the judges’ decision – leaping up and down as a stunned Landi gaped at the leaderboard. The judges revised her score by 0.1 of a point, giving her 13.766 to clinch the bronze.
The win was historic – marking the first time all three positions on the Olympic podium were held by Black women. In a remarkable display of sportsmanship, Chiles suggested she and Biles playfully bow to Andrade. The move was captured in an iconic photo that instantly made sporting history.
But the celebration would be short-lived.
Why Romania challenged the score
International Gymnastics Federation regulations allow a coach to challenge a difficulty score “provided that they are made verbally immediately after the publication of the score.”
According to the guidelines, a coach has one minute after the score is shown to make a verbal inquiry for the last gymnast in a rotation.
Because Chiles was the final gymnast to perform, her coaches were racing against the clock.
“The person designated to receive the verbal inquiry has to record the time of receiving it, either in writing or electronically, and this starts the procedure,” according to the rules.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation and gymnasts Bǎrbosu and Maneca-Voinea filed an official challenge with the Court of Arbitration for Sport to review the circumstances surrounding the decision to revise Chiles’ score.
They argued the USA Gymnastics inquiry was filed 4 seconds after the one-minute deadline and Chiles’ initial score of 13.666 should be upheld. All three athletes, the gymnasts argued, should be placed in third position and each awarded a medal.
For the next week, the appeals process played out behind the scenes. Then, on Saturday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Team Romania’s challenge.
The sporting governing body announced it determined the inquiry submitted on behalf of Chiles “was raised after the conclusion of the one-minute deadline… and is determined to be without effect.”
“The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique shall determine the ranking of the Final of the women’s Floor exercise and assign the medal(s) in accordance with the above decision,” the Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement.
It was later announced the bronze would be awarded to Bǎrbosu of Romania.
A heartbroken Chiles reacts
“We are devastated,” USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a joint statement following the ruling. “The inquiry in 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.”
It also noted Chiles had been subjected to “utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media.”
Chiles posted four broken heart emojis to her Instagram story following the CAS decision and announced she would be taking a break from social media. “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you,” she wrote.
A final twist: USA says they have timestamped evidence
Hours later, USA Gymnastics announced it had formally submitted a letter and additional evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to appeal the ruling.
The team said in a statement it submitted timestamped video evidence that shows USA Gymnastics Coach Landi submitted her inquiry “47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted.”
The team said it did not have access to the footage to prior to the tribunal’s decision, and later argued there were “critical errors” in the initial scoring and the CAS appeals process that needed to be addressed.
“Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves. We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly,” the team said in a statement.
What comes next?
It’s unclear how long it could take for this appeal to work through arbitration – and it’s unclear if Chiles has already returned the medal.
And while score revisions are not uncommon, Chiles’ case is unusual. In the past, athletes have been stripped of their medals when the International Olympic Committee finds evidence of illegal substance use.
Superstar Usain Bolt was forced to return an Olympic gold medal he’d won in the 4x100m relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after it was revealed his teammate, Nesta Carter, had tested positive for a banned substance. – CNN
By Chelsea Bailey