Aug 10, 2024, 3:20 PM ET
The CAS has overturned the investigation that led to Jordan Chiles winning bronze and Romanian Ana Barbosu could replace her on the podium.
PARIS – Romania’s Ana Barbosu could replace American Jordan Chiles as the Olympic bronze medalist in floor gymnastics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned an appeal by Chiles’ coach who placed her on the podium.
CAS ruled Saturday that U.S. coach Cecile Landi’s appeal to have .1 added to Chiles’ score, which propelled Chiles from fifth to third place, went outside the one-minute window allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
CAS overturned the investigation that led to Jordan Chiles’ bronze. Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages
The CAS wrote in its decision that the initial finishing order should be restored, with Barbosu third, her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea fourth and Chiles fifth. The organization added that the FIG should determine the final ranking “in accordance with the previous decision,” but left it to the FIG to decide who would get the medal behind gold winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and silver medalist Simone Biles of the United States.
FIG spokeswoman Meike Behrensen said in an email to The Associated Press that the organization would make a statement “in due course” but did not offer a timeline.
The Romanian Olympic Committee has requested the award of three bronze medals.
Chiles hinted at the decision in an Instagram story on Saturday, stating that she is heartbroken and “taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health, thank you.”
Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea were left out of the medal race in Monday’s floor final after finishing with equal 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 earned a score of 13.666 that placed her fifth, just behind Maneca-Voinea. Landi called for an investigation into Chiles’ score and said that after the awards ceremony there was nothing to lose.
The judges granted the appeal, beating Chiles out over Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for the final spot on the podium.
Romania also appealed to CAS to have 0.1 added to Maneca-Voinea’s score because she was wrongly penalized for stepping off the field during her routine. CAS rejected that appeal on Saturday.
USA Gymnastics said in a statement that it was “devastated” by the ruling.
“The investigation into the difficulty value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was submitted in good faith and, we believe, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring,” the organization wrote.
Chiles, 23, became a target on social media after the late change, with critics calling for her to return the medal or making racist comments at her. Chiles posted on X earlier this week that “it’s funny how people still can never be happy for someone.”
Chiles’ mother, Gina Chiles, slammed the critics in a post, writing that she was “tired” of the disparaging comments directed at Jordan.
“My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and unmatched level of sportsmanship,” Gina Chiles posted. “And she is being called disgusting things.”
