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With Jordan Chiles back in court to try and take back the Olympic bronze medal she initially won in the floor routine, her teammate Simone Biles could well play a pivotal role.
Biles, who won all-around gold, also won silver in the floor routine and had a crew filming the event for part of her Simone Biles Rising documentary on Netflix.
Now, Nancy Armour and Todd Schadd of USA Today reports that camera crews for the documentary caught pivotal evidence that Chiles could use in her case.
Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, was mic’d up for the documentary. In one part of the footage, she can be heard yelling “Inquiry for Jordan!” Landi after Chiles’s score was first announced.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland ruled that Chiles’ inquiry came after the one-minute time limit to appeal scores. But the video appears to show otherwise.
“One of the two technical assistants, dressed in white, made eye contact with her and nodded to indicate the receipt of the Verbal Inquiry,” Chiles’ appeal reads. Landi then repeated “Inquiry for Jordan,” and “For Jordan.” All of which occurred before the one-minute deadline passed, according to the appeal.
Jordan Chiles Lost Her Olympic Bronze Medal To Ana Barbosu Of Romania
Chiles’ medal eventually went into the hands of Romanian Ana Barbosu, who initially finished fourth in the event after Chiles’ appeal was first allowed before later being struck down in court.
Barbosu shared a message to both Chiles and teammate Sabrina Voinea, who finished fifth, following the events.
“Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you are feeling, because I’ve been through the same,” Barbosu said in an Instagram post after the Cas ruling. “But I know you’ll come back stronger. I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share same podium. This is my true dream!”
Ultimately, somebody is going to wind up disappointed. And it’s hard to argue with the new evidence on Chiles’ side.