Jordan Chiles Breaks Romanian Hearts After Inquiry Moves Her Into Bronze Medal Position During Romanian Celebration

Getty Image / Naomi Baker

The final day of Artistic Gymnastics competition was a strange one, to say the least. Event finals on Parallel Bars and High Bar for men, and Balance Beam and Floor Exercise for the women. But, it was a day that USA gymnast Jordan Chiles will never forget.

Jordan Chiles was the last competitor of the entire gymnastics meet, finishing out the Floor Exercise Final inside Bercy Arena, and was aiming for a medal. When her score was flashed she had come in fifth, less than a tenth of a point behind the bronze medal, but the score was overturned after an inquiry, and she ended up with the bronze medal.

Simone Biles was heavily favored in the event, but two out-of-bounds deductions, worth three-tenths each due to both feet being out-of-bounds, put her narrowly in second place behind Brazil star Rebeca Andrade.

While the odds of Chiles catching those two, with Andrade at 14.166 and Biles at 14.133, were slim, she had a real shot at a medal in the final routine, with Romania’s Ana Barbosu holding the spot at 13.7

Here was Jordan Chiles’ Beyoncé-inspired routine.

When the score first came up, she had a 13.666, less than a tenth from a bronze medal. Since she was the last routine, Romania’s Ana Barbousa started celebrating. But, Jordan Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, submitted an inquiry to the judges on Chiles’ score.

In Artistic Gymnastics, the execution score, which starts at 10 and incurs deductions for things like hops on landings, bent legs, and improper body positions, are not able to be appeals. But, the difficulty score, which is the composite of the value of the skills that you complete, no matter how well you complete them, is able to be appealed, as it’s considered a matter of fact and can be objectively scored.

After the judges reviewed the routine, they decided to give her credit for a skill called a Gogean, saying that she did indeed complete 1 1/2 turns. That upped her difficulty score by .1, which meant she beat out Barbosu with a score of 13.766.

That is Chiles’ third Olympic medal in her career, as she had a team silver in Tokyo, a team gold in Paris, and this bronze medal. That’s a heck of a career.