Romanian Gymnast Ana Barbosu Breaks Silence After Losing Medal Due to Jordan Chiles’ Score Change

Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu is holding her head high after losing out on an Olympics bronze medal because of Jordan Chiles ’ score change on floor exercise.

“A dream come true,” Ana, 18, wrote on Instagram after the women’s gymnastics competition ended on Monday, August 5. “Competing with the most amazing teammates, and placing 7th at the Olympics is a huge accomplishment! Being in two individual finals was more than I dreamed of. Going from 8th to 4th in the floor final was exciting! None of this would’ve been possible without the people who were unconditionally supporting me. A big thank you to all of them!”

Ana scored a 13.700 in the floor exercise final and was initially named the bronze medal winner behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade , who won gold, and the United States’ Simone Biles , who took the silver. However, Jordan’s coaches submitted an inquiry about the U.S. competitor’s 13.666 score, arguing that one of her moves – a tour jete full – was not scored correctly.

The judges eventually overturned their original decision, giving Jordan, 23, an extra one-tenth of a point and bumping her score up to 13.766, which put her ahead of Ana. Jordan was seen excitedly jumping up and down as she realized that she had won bronze, while Ana was left in tears as she exited the arena with her coach.

Despite the disappointment in the moment, Ana seemed to take the situation in stride once she had a few moments to reflect. “Thank you to everyone who encouraged me before, during and after the competition,” she added on her Instagram Story. She also reposted a message from a retired Romanian Olympian, who urged Ana and her teammates to “keep believing in your dreams.”

Floor exercise was Jordan’s only individual event of the Olympics . However, she also won a gold medal with her teammates – Simone, 27, Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera and Suni Lee – in the team final on July 30. Meanwhile, Simone took home gold in the individual all-around and vault competitions, while Suni, 21, won bronze on the uneven bars. Jade, 24, also scored a bronze medal in vault.

“This is just a dream come true,” Jordan said after floor exercise. “It’s my first time ever in an event final. Like we said, it was a redemption tour. I just wanted to come out and do the best I could. This medal means everything. I have no words.”

Although the score and result change received mixed reviews online, with fans admitting they felt happy for Jordan but sad for Ana, the professional athlete was mostly able to block out the noise and celebrate. “I honestly didn’t expect this, like, whatsoever. I’m just so proud of myself,” Jordan added. However, after seemingly seeing some of the backlash online, she wrote on X, “it’s funny how people can still never be happy for someone.”

Jordan previously competed on the U.S. Olympic team in the 2020 Games and won a silver medal in the team final, but did not take the floor in any individual events.