Romanian Gymnast Replaces Jordan Chiles As Bronze Medalist In Floor Exercise After Court Ruling

The International Gymnastics Federation restored Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu to third in the Paris Olympicswomen’s floor exercise final Saturday, potentially forcing American gymnast Jordan Chiles to return the bronze she won in the event.

It’s unclear whether Chiles will be compelled to send back medal. The federation, known as FIG, said while it has restored the initial order of finish — with Barbosu third, Romanian teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea fourth and Chiles fifth — the allocation of medals was up to the International Olympic Committee.

FIG made the decision not long after the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided an appeal from Team USA coach Cecile Landi during the competition that had vaulted Chiles onto the podium.

CAS ruled Saturday that the on-floor appeal Monday by Cecile Landi to have .1 added to Chiles’ score came outside the 1-minute window allowed by the FIG. The ad hoc committee wrote that Landi’s appeal came 1 minute, 4 seconds after the score was posted.

CAS wrote in its decision that the initial finishing order should be restored, with Barbosu third, teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea fourth and Chiles fifth. The organization added the FIG should determine the final ranking “in accordance with the above decision,” but left it to FIG to decide who would get the medal behind gold winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and silver medalist Simone Biles of the U.S.

FIG spokesperson Meike Behrensen said in an email to The Associated Press that a statement from the organization would be made “in due course” but did not offer a timeline.

The Romanian Olympic Committee had asked for three bronze medals to be awarded.

Chiles hinted at the decision in an Instagram story on Saturday, indicating she is heartbroken and is “taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health, thank you.”

Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea were left outside the medals in Monday’s floor final after finishing with matching scores of 13.700. Barbosu thought she had won bronze over Maneca-Voinea via a tiebreaker — a higher execution score — and began celebrating with a Romanian flag.

Chiles was the last athlete to compete and initially given a score of 13.666 that placed her fifth, right behind Maneca-Voinea. Landi called for an inquiry on Chiles’ score, saying after the awards ceremony there was nothing to lose.

Judges awarded the appeal, leapfrogging Chiles past Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for the last spot on the podium.

Romania also appealed to CAS to have 0.1 added to Maneca-Voinea’s score because she was incorrectly called for stepping out of bounds during her routine. CAS denied that appeal Saturday.

USA Gymnastics said in a statement it is “devastated” by the ruling.

“The inquiry into 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,” the organization wrote.

The 23-year-old Chiles became a target on social media in the aftermath of the late switch, with critics asking her to give back the medal or offering racist remarks. Chiles posted on X earlier this week that “it’s funny how people can still never be happy for someone.”

Chiles’ mother, Gina Chiles, called out the critics in a post, writing she was “tired” of the derogatory comments being leveled at Jordan.

“My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched,” Gina Chiles posted. “And she’s being called disgusting things.”

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games