By Paris, France – Jordan Chiles is facing the heartbreaking prospect of losing the Olympic bronze medal she won in the women’s floor final after a shocking ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Saturday.
The 23-year-old U.S. gymnast originally placed third in the event, behind gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and silver medalist and fellow teammate Simone Biles.
Chiles had initially finished fifth with a score of 13.666, but her position was elevated to third after her coach successfully appealed, resulting in a 0.1 point increase to her score.
This change pushed Romania’s Ana Barbosu and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea down to fourth and fifth places, despite both having matching scores of 13.700.
However, in a stunning twist, CAS ruled that the appeal which led to Chiles’ score increase had been submitted outside the one-minute window allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) regulations.
The ruling stated that the original scores and placements should be restored, which would see the 18-year-old Barbosu reclaim the bronze, followed by Maneca-Voinea in fourth and Chiles in fifth.
USA Gymnastics expressed their devastation over the decision, while Chiles took to social media to announce that she was stepping back from social platforms to focus on her mental health.
Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea had finished with identical scores in Monday’s floor final but were initially left outside the medal standings after the appeal. Barbosu, who believed she had secured bronze after winning a tiebreaker due to a higher execution score, began celebrating with a Romanian flag before the news of the appeal changed the results.
Chiles had been the last to compete and originally received a score of 13.666, which placed her fifth. However, her coach Cecile Landi called for an inquiry into a jump that had been given a lower difficulty grade.
The appeal led to a score adjustment that temporarily placed Chiles in third, bumping Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea down the rankings.
Following the CAS ruling, Barbosu was reportedly seen dropping her Romanian flag in shock before bringing her hands to her face and breaking down in tears.
The International Gymnastics Federation later confirmed that on August 7, it had received requests from the Romanian Federation to investigate the appeal, with the FIG acknowledging that the appeal submission’s timing was a significant factor in the decision to overturn the result.
