IOC's Bronze-Medal Verdict Caused Rift Between Romanian Gymnastics Teammates

Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea ended the floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics with identical 13.700 scores.

So, how did the bronze medal for the event get awarded to Barbosu after a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling wiped out Jordan Chiles’ score inquiry that dropped her from third to fifth place and an International Olympics Committee decision to strip the of the medal, while Maneca-Voinea had to settle for being the fourth-place finisher?

It essentially boils down to semantics. Both gymnasts had the same score but Barbosu won the tie-breaker due to having a higher execution score, which resulted in her and not her teammate walking away with the medal — something she recently admitted has caused a rift between them.

“I saw Sabrina, I held her,” Barbosu told Romania’s “Un Podcast.” “I hope it's better, it still takes time. I don't want to say much, because I can't know what she feels. It's very difficult, I can't interpret her feelings myself. I felt her a little more distant from me, but I think it's because of the situation. Maybe she is also thinking. … It will pass, we need the team further.”

Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee president Mihai Covaliu initially sent a letter of protest to the International Gymnastics Federation disputing the results of the floor exercise.

Covaliu believed there should have been a “re-analysis by the decision-making factors” that went into scoring Maneca-Voinea’s routine.

The 17-year-old was hit with a 0.100-point deduction for her foot allegedly touching out of bounds. Video replay shows her foot stayed in bounds the entire time, and had her score been calculated accurately, Maneca-Voinea should have finished ahead of Barbosu.

Related: Ana Barbosu Sends Message to Jordan Chiles After Receiving Her Bronze Medal

Related: Jordan Chiles Sends a Clear Message to IOC About Returning Bronze Medal