Related Articles
Drama continues after Chiles was stripped of individual bronze.
Gymnastics is always one of the best parts of the Summer Olympics, and this year was no different. Along with both the women and men’s team earning medals, we got to witness Simone Biles become the actual gymnastics GOAT, and we were all saddled up for every appearance of Pommel Horse Guy.
However, one situation put a little bit of a damper on these Team USA athletes’ time in Paris, and that’s the drama with Jordan Chiles’ individual medal for the floor exercise. As the saga continues, Biles has spoken out, saying she wants “justice” for her best friend and training partner.
The past couple of weeks has unquestionably been difficult for all of the athletes involved in the brouhaha concerning the bronze medal for individual floor exercise. The third-place finish has jumped back and forth between Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu and Team USA’s Jordan Chiles, and the saga continues in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Now, Simone Biles has weighed in, telling People that she has, indeed, been in touch with Chiles. Biles said:
Leave it to Simone Biles to focus on her friend’s mental health during a time of such uncertainty. The GOAT said they definitely all want justice for Jordan Chiles, but she told her friend that regardless of what happens, they all witnessed her great routine, and that can’t be taken away. Biles continued:
Jordan Chiles was the final gymnast to compete on the floor exercise during the individual competition, and after her score was announced, it appeared that Ana Barbosu had finished in third place behind Simone Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, beating Chiles by a score of 13.700 to 13.666.
However, Chiles’ coach filed an appeal, and despite Barbosu already celebrating her supposed win, the American gymnast’s score was changed to 13.766, giving her the bronze.
Arguments after the fact claimed that the coach hadn’t filed the appeal within the time period given to do so, and Jordan Chiles’ original score was reinstated, once again making the Romanian gymnast the bronze medalist.
Additional appeals have been filed to prove the original inquiry was made in a timely manner, but a final judgment may not come quickly.
In the meantime, Simone Biles’ bestie has been receiving much love and support, including from celebrities like Flavor Flav, who gifted her a bronze clock (naturally). Jordan Chiles may be taking a social media break, but Biles has her back. She said:
You have to love the friendship between Simon Biles and Jordan Chiles, and it’s great to know that the latter has so many people in her corner as this mess continues. If you want to relive some of the best moments from the Paris Olympics, there’s plenty of coverage to be found with a Peacock subscription.
