As she fought back tears, Jordan Chiles explained why she still has her bronze medal.
Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles still has the Olympic bronze medal that dominated headlines this summer. In a tearful interview with Today, Jordan spoke about her emotional journey after the Paris Olympics and why she’s still holding on to the medal.
Many may never know what Chiles has been experiencing behind the scenes as she continues to fight for the right to keep the bronze medal from her floor routine after it was stripped away. But, on Monday, she spoke with Hoda Kotb about her continued battle and why it means so much.
During a tearful interview, Chiles revealed what’s happened since Paris, the support she’s received and why her bronze medal means more to her than even the gold medal she won with Team USA. Here’s part of what she shared in a nearly ten-minute segment:
“It was like a cherry on top. My redemption tour going into Paris was — ‘Yes.’ Coming back with a gold, coming back with the understanding that I was able to go out there and be the best version of myself — With this floor medal it was like, ‘Wow, I never expected myself to make a floor final’…
“Plus it was an all Black podium. That was history being made. I was very glad to be a part of…”
Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles to raise 12th Man Flag
The best pregame tradition in the NFL just got a little more dynamic. Before every Seattle Seahawks home game, someone notable always gets the honor to raise the iconic 12th Man Flag. On Sunday, the 12’s will get a golden opportunity to see a true American sports hero in Olympic gold medalist – and Washington native – Jordan Chiles, as she will raise their flag against the Miami Dolphins.
Chiles was a key member of the unspeakably remarkable Team USA gymnastics squad that dominated the 2024 Paris Olympics. Chiles helped our country take home gold during the team events.
Team USA dominated overall during the 2024 Paris Olympics, earning the most gold medals (40) and most medals overall (126).
The 23-year-old graduate from Prairie High School has become one of the new faces of Team USA Gymnastics, and is poised to continue our nation’s elite legacy of female gymnasts. Now, she gets to add one more honor to her already storied career: raising the 12th Man Flag.
Chiles took to the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday alongside Flavor Flav, and the Public Enemy rapper had a surprise for the athlete. Flav was extremely involved in the Summer Olympics, sponsoring the women’s and men’s water polo teams and attending several other events.
After the ruling came down that would take Chiles’ medal, Flav told the gymnast that he would give her one of his iconic bejeweled clocks. He came through, presenting Chiles with a bronze bedazzled medal replacement and telling her that he’d also cover the prize money ($15,000).
Jordan Chiles, who was one of the biggest hits in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris has released her first statement since the IOC stripped her of her bronze medal.
Chiles originally finished five, then after a review took home the bronze medal. Several reviews later, the latest is Chiles is likely to keep her third-place medal.
” 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. 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 scored followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.”
Jordan Chiles releases first statement since IOC stripped her of her Bronze🥉. Chiles placed 5th in women's floor exercise. Her team filed an inquiry, leading to a score adjustment. Despite video evidence, it was later ruled the inquiry was done 4secs after the 1min deadline. pic.twitter.com/BPket52M6g
Chiles went on to talk more about the events, and her reactions. Chiles made an announcement pretty soon after the Olympics she would be coming back for two more seasons at UCLA.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concluded, without providing concrete evidence, that the Americans challenged the score four seconds after the one minute window to legally do so under International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) rules. Despite the fact the judges were simply correcting a score that they initially miscalculated, Romania will be awarding the bronze medal to Ana Maria Barbosu on Friday in Bucharest.
Chiles, who has been the victim of repeated hateful and racist attacks online, has mostly remained off social media while the arbitration system plays out. On Thursday, she released a statement calling the CAS ruling “devastating” and vowed to keep fighting for the medal.
Good morning, Winners! Thank you so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you giving us a bit of your time.
I know I said we were done talking about the Olympics, but I’m sorry. Today we’ve got to circle back because this Jordan Chiles bronze medal thing has become a complete dumpster fire.
Chiles is being forced to give her Olympic medal back, which is already bizarre. But what makes it worse is that it’s everyone’s fault but hers.
It all started with Chiles dramatically winning her Olympic bronze medal two weeks ago in the individual floor routine competition. Her original score was posted at 13.666, but her coach, Cecile Landi, filed an inquiry with the judges, arguing that they’d miscalculated her difficulty score.
It turns out Landi was right. They did miscalculate her score. Following the inquiry, her score bumped by a tenth, giving her a 13.766, which just edged out Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu for bronze.
The drama that was unnecessary, sure. But, hey. At least the problem was solved, right? Wrong. At least, according to the Court of Arbitration in Sport and the International Olympic Committee.
To make a long story short, the CAS ruled that Landi’s inquiry came a whopping four seconds after the one-minute deadline following Chiles’ initial score, so it shouldn’t have been accepted. And because it shouldn’t have been accepted, the IOC is making Chiles return her bronze medal that she would’ve won in the first place if the judges had just done their jobs properly.
The situation, somehow, gets worse. Team USA decided to appeal the ruling with evidence that Landi’s inquiry did, indeed, beat the 1-minute deadline required. Twice. But the CAS doesn’t allow arbitral awards to be reconsidered — even if the evidence clearly says it should be! On top of that, the CAS reportedly didn’t even speak to the right Team USA officials when considering the Romanian appeal.
The question I’m left to ponder here is this: Does anyone involved in this process know how to do their jobs? It sure doesn’t seem like it.
All these institutions we’re supposed to trust have failed here. The gymnastics judges, the IOC, the CAS. They’ve all fumbled their part of the process along the way to bring us to this very moment where Chiles is being made to pay for their mistakes.
Not only is she being wrongfully stripped of a medal that she earned, but now she’s also vulnerable to the most hateful people on the internet who were already going to try and invalidate her incredible accomplishment with racist attacks before the ineptitude of these governing bodies added fuel to the fire.
Chiles took solace in knowing she was part of gymnastics’ first all-Black podium. She was proud of that. That meant more than any medal. It was history. A positive spin that — let’s be honest — gymnastics desperately needed.
Now, whether she gets to keep the medal or not, the moment will forever be blighted by the incompetence of the governing bodies that are supposed to be protecting this sport.
I’d say it’s a shame, but it’d be awfully presumptuous of me to assume that the parties involved have any.
On the road again
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The New York Jets have reclaimed their throne, folks. Somehow, the other New York team has already become the most dramatic team in the NFL and we haven’t even played a game yet.
Remember when the Jets traded a conditional third-round pick to the Eagles for Haason Reddick back in April? Yeah, well, he already wants out.
Our Cory Woodroof has five teams Douglas can call when he inevitably changes his mind about this, though, starting with the Atlanta Falcons.
“No team in the NFL needs Reddick like the Falcons. Seriously. If the Falcons could find a way to add a talent like Reddick to their pass-rushing group, that’d be a huge, huge boost to a pretty middling unit on paper. Reddick would arguably be Atlanta’s most proven pass-rusher since defensive end John Abraham, who last played for the Falcons in 2012.”
Make the call, Joe.
Living your best life … kind of
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker seem to be having an blast together in St. Tropez after winning a gold medal.
I will say I’ve never seen anyone make going down a slide seem less … meh? than Kevin Durant. My boy still has his game face on.
book and kd living their best lives in st tropez post olympics as they deserve 🥲 pic.twitter.com/OP61O0Srj0
No Olympic athlete should be subjected to the emotional roller coaster Jordan Chiles has been on the last few days as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) considered an appeal of Monday’s floor exercise final and landed on a ruling Sunday that would strip Chiles of her bronze medal.
The court voided the on-floor appeal by Team USA that moved Chiles from fifth to third place and knocked Romania’s Ana Barbosu off the podium, saying it came four seconds after the time allowed for scoring inquiries.
That decision led the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reallocate the bronze from Chiles to Barbosu, making a bad situation worse by dragging a second gymnasts through the avoidable experience of tasting Olympic success only to be told it was just a fever dream. That medal you won… that unforgettable moment on the podium… it never happened.
But alas, the court has a chance to make it right.
In a statement to USA TODAY Sports’ Christine Brennan, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) said it will issue its own appeal of the ruling, citing errors in the initial scoring and the appeal process.
The best outcome is one that doesn’t penalize the athletes for the mistakes of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and IOC.
I’m not one for handing out participation trophies for the sake of making everyone happy, but because the judges couldn’t get it right in real time, the only way this can end is with Chiles and Barbosu sharing the bronze. They both have a reason to believe they were the rightful winners. It’s too late to tell either they’re wrong.
In a perfect world, the judges would have scored Chiles’ routine correctly the first time, removing the need for her initial on-floor appeal. Or they would have rejected her appeal for being too late, and there wouldn’t have been the need for the Romanian appeal. Or the IOC would have acknowledged the court’s ruling but not landed on the ridiculous decision to take away a medal Chiles earned.
There were so many opportunities for the people in charge to get this right and end it. Now, they’re getting one last chance, and they better not screw it up.
As announced on Sunday, Jordan Chiles will be stripped over her bronze medal in floor exercise over a mere technicality, thanks to an appeal by Romania.
Romania’s argument upon appeal was that Team USA challenged four seconds too late by Federation of Gymnastics rules, which state that inquiries need to be sent in 60 seconds after the scoreboard shows the score.
It turns out the IOC agreed with a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Saturday. Chiles will be stripped of her bronze and Barbosu will get it, thanks to a whole four seconds.
Chiles did nothing wrong. She didn’t dope. She didn’t cheat. She didn’t break any laws. She wasn’t even the one who submitted an appeal that we know now was done four seconds too late.
None of that matters. She’s losing her bronze medal because of a procedural error. The supposed adults in charge screwed up, but it’s Chiles who is paying the price.
Yes, I know, rules are rules.
But that’s really it. Chiles is punished for the mistake of others, one that — if it was indeed four seconds too late — should have been rejected on the spot when the appeal was made, if that was the case. And Chiles has had to deal with some awful horribleness on social media, likely leading to her announcing she was taking a break. Again, not because of something she did.
There’s a solution here, and it’s in the spirit of, well, the so-called Olympic spirit: two bronze medals. Why punish Chiles and Barbosu for mistakes they didn’t make? We’ve seen multiple medals handed out in the past. It does no harm to have them both take home one, and shows this isn’t about a win or a loss, but rather that procedural stuff like this is bull and it’s the athletes and their achievements that matter.
Once again, the IOC shows that it’s one of the most incompetent organizations in the world. Would anyone be upset if they awarded two bronze medals? Chiles literally had the third-best score. Not her fault the judges screwed up and an inquiry was necessary. Common sense, folks. https://t.co/KgRWI3LKPC
I said it as soon as it happened: Ana Maria Bărbosu & Jordan Chiles should have BOTH been awarded bronze medals after the judges’ egregious error. All the IOC has done here is hurt two extremely gifted, hard working young ladies. A sad day for the Olympic movement.
It looks like Jordan Chiles has to return her bronze medal. Let us explain.
Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. This is FTW Explains: The Olympics. Have you seen some stuff about Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles possibly returning the bronze medal she won in Paris for her floor exercise? And you’re very confused about that whole thing? Don’t worry. We’re here to help.
You may remember when Jordan Chiles dramatically won a bronze medal for her floor routine on Monday following a coach’s challenge to her score. It turns out the saga did not end there as Romania (understandably) lodged its own appeal of Team USA’s challenge.
It’s been an extremely emotional few days for Chiles as the fate of her medal was left up to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG).
Saturday brought a little clarity to the situation, and it’s really a heartbreaking one for all athletes involved following multiple appeals.
Why does Chiles has to give her medal back?
UPDATE Sunday 5:15 a.m. ET: Chiles does have to give her medal back, the International Olympic Committee announced Sunday. More via USA TODAY Sports:
The news comes less than 24 hours after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the judging panel for the women’s floor exercise final made a mistake in granting an inquiry filed by Chiles’ coaches, which moved the American gymnast into medal position. The Romanian Gymnastics Federation had challenged the validity of that move, saying it was filed four seconds beyond the deadline by which any inquiries had to be submitted.
The IOC said in a statement that it will reallocate the bronze medal to Romania’s Ana Barbosu.
Original story:
Well, first let’s slow down. As of Saturday afternoon Chiles doesn’t have to give anything back, but we will update this post if that changes.
PARIS (AP) — Gymnastics body bumps Romania's Ana Barbosu to third in floor finals, doesn't say if Jordan Chiles must forfeit bronze.
If you remember, Chiles originally placed fifth in her floor routine with a score of 13.666 behind two Romanian gymnasts, Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (who each scored 13.7). Chiles’ coaches sucessfully challenged the judges’ scoring on the difficulty of her’ routine, which added 0.1 to her score and earned Chiles the bronze.
No one is arguing Chiles’ initial score was correct or that the judges were wrong to award the 0.1 upon review.
Instead, Romania’s appeal came down to the timing of Team USA’s challenge. CAS ruled the Americans did, indeed, challenge too late, according to FIG rules — by a matter of four seconds.
FOUR SECONDS!? Chiles might lose her bronze because of four seconds!?
Yep. It’s truly awful, but those are the rules. Coaches get 60 seconds to challenge a score from the moment it flashes across the scoreboard. Chiles’ challenge came in after 64 seconds.
Inquiries for the Difficulty score are allowed, provided that they are made verbally immediately after the publication of the score or at the very latest before the score of the following gymnast/athlete or group is shown.
In case two (2) categories / apparatus are judged alternatively (by two (2) panels or one single panel) the inquiry must be made before the score of the following gymnast or group of the same category/apparatus is shown.
For the last gymnast or group of a rotation, this limit is one (1) minute after the score is shown on the scoreboard. 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.
Only the accredited coaches in the competition area are entitled to submit an inquiry.
Well, that’s just a very bad rule
Look, if the point is to make sure the athletes get the fairest score possible, then yes. It’s a very bad rule. But it’s also the rule that’s in place. And just as it was fair for Team USA to challenge Chiles’ score, it’s fair for Romania to appeal the challenge.
But Romania’s request actually extremely generous. They wanted to split the bronze three ways. Which brings us back to the CAS.
The Applicants sought a ruling from the CAS Ad hoc Division concluding that the Inquiry was filed beyond the 1-minute deadline specified in art. 8.5 of FIG 2024 Technical Regulations (i.e. 1 minute and 4 seconds) and dismissing the Inquiry as untimely, thereby upholding the initial score of 13.666 and adjusting the final ranking accordingly. The Applicants also sought a conclusion that the penalty of 0.1 for execution imposed on Ms Sabrina Maneca-Voinea was given without basis, thereby increasing her score to 13.800, and that the final ranking be adjusted accordingly. Subsidiarily, the Applicants requested a ruling adjusting the ranking of Ms Ana Maria Bărbosu, Ms Sabina Maneca-Voinea and Ms Jordan Chiles by placing all three athletes in 3rd position and the allocation of medals to all three athletes.
1. The application filed by Federation Romanian Gymnastics and Ms Ana Bărbosu on 6 August 2024, in its amended version of 8 August 2024, is partially upheld.
2. The inquiry submitted on behalf of Ms Jordan Chiles in the Final of the women’s Floor exercise was raised after the conclusion of the one-minute deadline provided by article 8.5 of the 2024 FIG Technical Regulations and is determined to be without effect.
3. The initial score of 13.666 given to Ms Jordan Chiles in the final of the women’s Floor exercise shall be reinstated.
4. 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.
5. All other requests are dismissed.
So now it’s up to the FIG to determine the final standings using Chiles’ original score?
Basically, and who knows what they’ll decide to do here.
No matter what happens, it seems like the gymnasts are going to be punished for the judges’ poor performance. Had they scored Chiles’ correctly to begin with, there wouldn’t have been anything to challenge.
Does Team USA have anything to say about this?
It sure does.
Joint Statement from USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee regarding the CAS decision on the women’s floor final:
Honestly, it’s tough to say. Aside from the personal heartache of having a medal potentially ripped away on a technicality, she has faced some brutal and racist attacks online.
Because of that, she declared that she’s taking a break from social media.
via instagram.com/jordanchiles
Jazmin Chiles, Jordan Chiles’ sister, says the gymnast was officially stripped of her medal:
The big buzz on Thursday was the announcement of Jordan Chiles. Chiles, after winning a gold and a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris announced she would be returning to UCLA starting this fall.
That is massive news for the Bruins gymnastics program. Having someone of Chiles status leads to many positives for the upcoming team. Head coach Janelle McDonald reacted to the news and could not wait to get started with the Olympian.
“I’m thrilled for Jordan to return to Westwood. Not only has she proven to be one of the best gymnasts in the world, but she has also shown time and time again that she is one of the most supportive and encouraging sportswomen around. She’s an incredible ambassador for NCAA gymnastics and UCLA. Jordan brings passion, heart, hard work and unparalleled energy to the team. And more than that, she shows up authentically as herself, and that’s exactly what a Bruin in!”
The 2024 UCLA Bruins women’s gymnastics season is scheduled to start December 15th with the “Meet The Bruins” event at Pauley Pavilion. They then start competitive meets after the New Year. They start in 2025 in Las Vegas.
