Jordan Chiles' Coach Heartbroken For Romanian Gymnast Over Olympic Scandal

Jordan Chiles' coach, Cecile Landi, has finally addressed the controversy surrounding the Olympic women's floor exercise final, where a Romanian gymnast missed out on a medal finish.

Chiles won bronze in the floor exercise final after scoring 13.766, behind Brazil's Rebeca Andrade (14.166) and her own USA teammate Simone Biles (14.133). However, the 23-year-old was initially placed fifth overall with 13.666 before an inquiry led to a scoring change.

Romania's Ana Barbosu scored 13.700 and was placed No. 3. In fact, she was already celebrating her bronze medal finish before Chiles got a bump in her score to move up to a podium spot.

Landi apparently challenged Chiles' difficulty score, and after a short inquiry, the judges agreed to give her an extra 0.1 point. According to the Associated Press, " inquiries are a standard part of gymnastics competitions" in which athletes or coaches can ask the judges to review a routine. That being said, "scores can be adjusted up or down based on an inquiry."

"I shouldn’t have to explain but I will ONCE. Jordan’s highest possible SV on floor is a 5.9," Landi responded to a critic on Instagram accusing them of cheating to help Chiles get a better score.

"At quals and team finals she received a 5.8 and we didn’t question it because we saw that not all elements were completed. During floor finals, we thought I was better and being placed 5th with nothing to lose, I sent the inquiry so I wouldn’t regret not asking."

Landi admitted that she "didn’t think it would be accepted," but to her surprise, it was.

"Jordan won this bronze medal and didn’t steal anything from anyone. I simply did my job and fought for my athlete," Landi added.

Addressing what happened to Barbosu, however, Landi emphasized she was "heartbroken." The 18-year-old gymnast, who was holding the Romanian flag up while all smiles with her medal finish, was in shock after the change and could only walk off in tears after.

"Do I feel bad for the Romanian athlete? Of course I do! It was so sad and heartbreaking to see but it is the sport!" Landi added, addressing what happened to Barbosu.

Landi, nonetheless, called for critics to stop the hate on Chiles since she did nothing but compete. The veteran coach, who also handles Simone Biles, said that Chiles "earned" the bronze.

"You don’t have to like it but you do have to respect the outcome and more importantly respect Jordan and not drag her down because you disagree. She EARNED that bronze medal, her 1st individual Olympic medal and I couldn’t be more proud and excited!" Landi added.

Jordan Chiles finished the 2024 Olympics with two medals: one gold from the women's team all-around event and her bronze from the floor exercise.

As for Barbosu, while she did not win a medal, Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu promised to honor her as an Olympic medalist, "including in terms of the prizes."

Related: Jordan Chiles Reveals Truth Why She And Simone Biles Bowed To Rebeca Andrade