Jordan Chiles Fires Back at Critics Following Olympic Bronze Medal Controversy

Jordan Chiles faced significant backlash following the controversial circumstances surrounding her bronze medal win in the women's floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On the "Way Up with Angela Yee" show, the 23-year-old gymnast addressed her critics and the contentious medal redistribution that has sparked widespread debate.

Chiles' comments focused on the inquiry her coach, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, submitted during the floor exercise final on Aug. 5. Following her Beyonce-inspired routine, Chiles was initially scored 13.666, ranking her fifth.

An inquiry about the difficulty score of a particular move in her routine, the tour jete full, was raised by her coach. The sucessful inquiry adjusted Chiles' score to 13.766, promoting her to third place, surpassing Romania's Ana Barbosu.

In response to the criticism, Chiles defended her actions, emphasizing that she and her coach followed the official rules.

“It’s literally in the handbook. Go look at the handbook at this rate. Half of y’all don’t even do our sport, so what do you like?” Chiles said.

The Romanian Federation of Gymnastics subsequently appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), arguing that the inquiry was submitted following the one-minute deadline. The appeal succeeded, resulting in Chiles' score being reverted and Barbosu was awarded the bronze medal.

Chiles expressed disappointment but maintained that neither she nor her coach had done anything wrong.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, my coaches didn’t do anything wrong. The biggest thing I think a lot of people are just taking away from is like, will she change the score? And it’s like, I can’t control that. I can’t control something that they did,” Chiles said.

Despite the CAS's decision, USA Gymnastics continued to support Chiles, presenting evidence they believe showed the inquiry was timely. Nevertheless, CAS ruled that their decision was final. Both Chiles and Barbosu withdrew from social media due to intense personal criticism, highlighting the immense pressure athletes face on the world stage.

Related: FIG President’s Apology Falls Flat as Jordan Chiles’ Mother Slams Statement