Jordan Chiles called the decision to strip her of her Olympic bronze medal "unjust" in the gymnast's first public remarks since a court voided an appeal that had bumped her from fifth to third place at the 2024 Paris Games.
In a post on Instagram, Chiles said she has "no words" for the situation and that the ruling comes as a "significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey," also noting the decision has brought forth "unprompted racially driven attacks" against her on social media.
Chiles' coach, Cecile Landi, had filed an appeal soon after the gymnast completed her floor routine at the Olympics on the belief that her score didn't accurately reflect the difficulty of her routine. This elevated Chiles to third while pushing Romanian Ana Barbosu out of medal contention.
Barbosu's team later fought the decision, saying the on-site inquiry from Team USA came in four seconds after the one-minute deadline to appeal. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in the Romanians' favor, voiding Landi's appeal and deciding Chiles' bronze medal had to be reallocated to Barbosu.
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The Court then denied USA Gymnastics' appeal for Chiles to keep the medal despite the U.S. claiming it came upon video evidence proving Landi requested to file the inquiry 47 seconds after the score was published, as well as a second statement 55 seconds after the score was posted.
In her statement, Chiles said she "had confidence in" USAG's appeal, noting it gave "conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules."
But although the call is "devastating," Chiles said she was "overwhelmed" by the love she's received since the ruling over the weekend and expressed her gratitude to her loved ones, teammates, coaches and USA Gymnastics as they continue to fight the decision.
"I will approach this challenge as I have others — and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done," Chiles said. "I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing."
