Why Did Jordan Chiles Lose Her Olympic Medal? Updates
Jordan Chiles won the bronze medal for her performance during the floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the title was later revoked and awarded to Romania’s Ana Bărbosu.
Why Did Team USA Gymnast Jordan Chiles Lose Her Bronze Olympic Medal?
Jordan competed last during the floor competition on August 5, 2024, originally scoring a 13.666. Her United States teammate Simone Biles scored a 14.133, taking home the silver medal, while Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade earned a 14.166 to secure the gold.
Jordan’s score put her in fifth place, with Romania’s Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca–Voinea tied for the bronze medal position.
Jordan’s coaches Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and Laurent Landi submitted an inquiry to the judges regarding the Team USA member’s routine difficulty and start value. Her score was boosted by 0.100, which bumped her up above Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea.
“The element in question is called a tour jete full,” an announcer explained. “In the team qualifications and team final [last week], she did not get credit for this skill. She has to make a complete twist all the way around, so she should finish facing back toward the other direction. In the initial evaluation of the skill, the judges did not give her credit for that. I talked to her coaches and they said, ‘We thought she did it much better in the finals, so we thought we have nothing to lose and we put in an inquiry.’ The judges decided to give it to her and that’s your one-tenth.”
Romania appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that Jordan’s coaches submitted their inquiry one minute and four seconds after she completed her routine, exceeding the one-minute deadline by four seconds. The country requested that Jordan, Ana, and Sabrina all be awarded third place, with bronze medals reallocated to each of them. However, the medal was ultimately awarded solely to Ana.
“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,” the ruling said.
Jordan Chiles’ Coach Speaks Out on Changed Score
One day after the event, Cécile defended Jordan after the gymnast received criticism online and spoke out about the changed score in an emotional post on social media.
“Jordan’s highest possible [start value] on floor is a 5.9—At quals and team finals she received a 5.8 and we didn’t question it because we saw that not all the elements were completed,” she wrote.
Jordan opened up about having her coach’s full support two days later, thanking her for “sticking up” for her. “I think it’s really cool, because you never know with what social media – Social media just sucks in general,” Jordan said during an interview with Access Hollywood published on August 8, 2024. “But I appreciate what she did, and I can’t thank her enough. With times like that, it does get hard. Mentally, physically, emotionally for a lot of people, so I do thank her for that.”
How Did Team USA Respond to Jordan’s Bronze Medal Reallocation?
USA Gymnastics appealed to the CAS’s ruling with video evidence “establishing that Head Coach Cecile Landi’s request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds” and “within the 1-minute deadline required.” The organization requested the “CAS ruling be revised and Chiles’ bronze-medal score of 13.766 reinstated.”
“The time-stamped, video evidence submitted by USA Gymnastics Sunday evening shows Landi first stated her request to file an inquiry at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score is posed,” USA Gymnastics shared in a statement from their official Instagram account on August 11, 2024. “Followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted. The video footage was not available to USA Gymnastics prior to the tribunal’s decision.”
The following day USA Gymnastics released another statement after the Court of Arbitration for Sports announced they would not reconsider Jordan’s score despite the “conclusive new evidence.”
“We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement and medal award for Jordan,” they shared via Instagram.
Jordan filed two appeals in September 2024 with the Swiss Federal Tribunal, asking for her case be reopened and the Court of Arbitration for Sport be ordered to consider new video evidence in her case. Her legal team claimed the CAS ruling that stripped her of her bronze medal was based on a “critical factual error” that her scoring inquiry by coach Cecile Landi was filed four seconds too late.
Celebrities Support Jordan Chiles
Flavor Flav, who sponsored the U.S. Women’s Water Polo team at the Paris Games, reacted to Bronzegate via X on August 11, 2024.
“Ayyy YOOOO @ChilesJordan ,,, imma make you a BRONZE CLOCK NECKLACE,,, and that’s something NO ONE else has,!!!” he wrote. “Hit me up my girl,,, I gotchu,!!!”
Within 48 hours, the former Public Enemy rapper debuted the most incredible and iced out bronze clock.
“USA gonna Fight the Powers that be for our girl Jordan Chiles,” he captioned the TikTok video on August 13, 2024. “But in the meantime in between time,,, I gots this one of a kind Bronze clock.”
Jordan Chiles Breaks Her Silence
“I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days,” Jordan shared via Instagram on August 15. “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 score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.”
The Washington native continued, “I have no words,” calling the decision “unjust” and “a significant blow.” “I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.”
“I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career,” she added. “Believe me when I say I have had many… I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”
Jordan Chiles Still Has the Bronze Medal She Was Stripped Of
“I have the medal. The medal is mine,” Jordan shared in a November 11, 2024, appearance on Today, her first TV interview since the controversy unfolded.
“Honestly, it’s been really, really hard just to comprehend everything that’s been happening,” she confessed about the drama surrounding the medal. “Finally, now I feel comfortable, in a way, to talk about what has been happening. I feel like I recently have been trying to tell myself I’ve been OK, the past four, five months, and it’s honestly been a very, very difficult time.”
Jordan shared why the medal meant so much to her.
“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. And with this floor medal it was like, ‘Wow, I never expected myself to even make a floor final,’” she said. “[And] it was an all-Black podium [with Simone Biles winning silver and Rebecca Andrade winning gold], that was history made. That was something I was very proud to be a part of.”
Jordan Chiles Has Written a Memoir
Jordan’s memoir, I’m That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams, is set for a release on March 4, 2025.
The athlete made the announcement about the book on November 27, 2024, writing on Instagram, “It’s all in here — the highs, the lows, the untold stories, and the moments that shaped me into who I am today.”
She added, “This is for anyone chasing their dreams, owning their confidence, and embracing their true self unapologetically.”
