Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu expressed her sympathies toward Jordan Chiles after a tumultuous arbitration battle awarded her the Olympic women's floor exercise bronze medal over her American competitor .
Chiles was awarded the bronze medal at the Bercy Arena on August 5 after an appeal from USA Gymnastics coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) retroactively overturned this decision, ruling that the inquiry came after the allotted one-minute window.
"Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you," Barbosu, 18, wrote on her Instagram story, referring to compatriot and fourth-place finisher Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. “I know what you are feeling, because I’ve been through the same. But I know you’ll come back stronger. I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share same podium. This is my true dream!”
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The 18-year-old gymnast competed in her first career Olympics in Paris this summer, scoring an impressive 13.700 on the floor exercise. Barbosu watched on as Chiles was awarded a 13.666, ensuring that the Romanian starlet would secure her first medal at the Summer Games.
That initial glory lasted just a couple of minutes before the United States' on-floor appeal, arguing that Chiles was not properly scored for a split leap, earned approval from the judges. The score change granted Chiles an extra 0.1 point and the bronze medal, spurring the American into celebration while a teary-eyed Barbosu buried her head into a Romanian flag.
"I can barely express my emotions, I can't believe it," Barbosu told Romanian media on Saturday after being finally awarded the bronze. "When I heard the news, I was afraid it wasn't true, and once I was sure, I hugged my parents and called everyone who had helped me."
The decision to give Chiles the bronze medal sparked outrage within the Romanian sporting community, as the nation's Olympic and Sports Committee requested for a re-analysis of the floor exercise while Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu boycotted the closing ceremony. A complaint to the CAS ultimately ruled in favor of Barbosu on August 10, arguing that the complaint came after the deadline, and the International Olympic Committee requested that Chiles return her medal the following day.
USA Gymnastics formally appealed the ruling, citing video evidence "conclusively establishing" that the complaint was made after 47 seconds, but the CAS elected not to consider any additional evidence. Barbosu has received significant negative attention online over the past controversial week, and she continued on her Instagram story by decrying the "hate" as painful.
“This situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation,” Barbosu wrote. “We, athletes are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful. I wanted to end this edition of the Olympic Games 2024 Paris in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world.”
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