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US gymnast Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal chances took a hit on Monday following a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling. It’s the latest drama in what’s become a mess of a situation in Paris.
Controversy surrounded the individual floor routine event, a competition that initially saw Romania’s Ana Barbosu place third. During her bronze medal celebration, however, an unexpected scenario played out.
Shortly after scoring was announced, Team USA filed an appeal.
Judges later gave Chiles a 0.1-point bump, allowing her to jump Barbosu to land a spot on the podium alongside teammate Simone Biles, who won silver.
Days later, Romania filed an appeal of its own, though that attempt was in an effort to have the score of Sabrina Maneca-Voinea adjusted to surpass Chiles.
That request was denied, but it wouldn’t prove futile.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport handed down a surprise ruling that gave the bronze medal back to Barbosu. They deemed that Team USA’s initial appeal had come four seconds too late, therefore voiding the challenge and the subsequent 0.1-point boost.
The Romanian gymnast offered her condolences to Jordan Chiles after reclaiming her prize while the US revealed its plan to continue fighting with evidence supporting their athlete’s claim to the title.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like those efforts will make a difference.
Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal battle took a hit with the latest CAS ruling.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport said that its rules “don’t allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented.”
Team USA Gymnastics responded to the disappointing news with a statement online. It will continue to fight for Chiles and her bronze medal.
Statement from USA Gymnastics on CAS Notice: pic.twitter.com/HoSiKjx9wl
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 12, 2024
The team will continue to “pursue every possible avenue,” but the odds seem to have shifted against them.