Romanian Gymnast Ana Bărbosu Given Bronze Medal Originally Awarded to Jordan Chiles

Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu was awarded her bronze medal on Friday, August 16 after Team Romania successfully appealed the decision to award third place to Team USA’s Jordan Chiles .

Bărbosu, 18, received the bronze medal for the individual floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics in a reallocation ceremony in Bucharest, Romania where Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu presented her with flowers.

Chiles, 23, originally finished the competition in fifth place. Team USA requested an inquiry into the difficulty of one of Chiles’ skills and the resulting score change moved Chiles into third place.

The controversy around the final standings deepened when Team Romania argued that the inquiry came four seconds too late and was therefore invalid. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled in favor of Romania on August 11, stripping Chiles of the bronze finish. Bărbosu became the new third-place finisher.

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The medal Bărbosu was awarded is not the one that was given to Chiles in Paris. Chiles reportedly still has her bronze, as USAG has announced their intention to appeal the recent decision.

"I want to believe that the day will come when all three of us [Bărbosu, Chiles and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea ] will receive a bronze medal," Bărbosu said at the reallocation ceremony.

Romania is also appealing Maneca-Voinea’s score after replay showed she was wrongly docked for stepping out of bounds during her routine.

​​"Thank you to everyone who added a bit of bronze to this medal. Right now, I can't help but think about Sabrina and Jordan as well,” Bărbosu continued. “It's a tough situation for us with so many uncertainties and overwhelming emotions. I hope everyone understands that we didn't do anything wrong at the Olympic Games. And that the Olympic spirit is more important than any misunderstanding between the authorities.”

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Chiles broke her silence on the matter Thursday via Instagram, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support she’s received during the scandal.

“I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days. I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, [USA Gymnastics] and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time,” she wrote. “While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away. I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.”

Chiles remains a two-time Olympic medalist, winning the gold with Team USA in the women’s team artistic all-around final. Chiles and Team USA won the silver in Tokyo for the same category in 2021.

"I will approach this challenge as I have others — and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing," Chiles concluded.