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Jordan Chiles Called Out By Romanian Gymnast After Being Stripped Of Bronze Medal
By Paolo Songco,
4 hours ago
Jordan Chiles won her first-ever individual Olympic medal in style. This was after the American gymnast placed third in Monday's floor final to add to her gold medal win in the team all-around competition earlier in the Games.
Chiles' bronze medal finish, however, did not come without controversy.
Chiles was supposed to finish in fifth with a final score of 13.666. Coach Cecile Landy, however, decided to submit an inquiry to the committee after suspecting that Chiles' score may have been erroneously judged.
She was right.
After a review, the judges bumped up Chiles' score to 13.766, which was enough for a podium finish for the two-time NCAA champion. Chiles burst out into tears after seeing her score overturned in what was truly an incredible moment for the decorated U.S. gymnast.
Jordan Chiles competes at a gymnastics event in 2024.
Imagn
Amid the euphoria of Chiles' win, however, was the heartbreak of Romanian Sabrina Voinea, whose final score of 13.700 would have been enough for a bronze medal had it not been for Chiles' successful protest.
Voinea voiced her brutally honest thoughts on the controversial turn of events in an interview shortly after being stripped of a bronze medal.
"Simone Biles is a good athlete but the American in third place, Jordan Chiles, made low landings and even left [the] carpet," Voinea said, as translated by Kickboxing Romania on X, formerly Twitter.
"I was not penalized. I filed [for an] appeal and it remained [the] same mark. Chiles kept protesting and [the judges] changed her mark. I had a much better exercise than her."
You can't help but feel for the 17-year-old, who will be going home empty-handed after what was an incredible performance in the floor final. After all, to be denied a place in history because of a technicality is just cruel.
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