Jordan Chiles reacts to 'devastating' bronze medal decision and vows to keep fighting for justice

Jordan Chiles isn’t giving up on her quest to retain the bronze medal she won at the Paris Olympics.

In what’s become an increasingly complex, confusing and bureaucratic case, Chiles had her floor routine medal stripped after Romania appealed the decision to allow Team USA to challenge Chiles’ score.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concluded, without providing concrete evidence, that the Americans challenged the score four seconds after the one minute window to legally do so under International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) rules. Despite the fact the judges were simply correcting a score that they initially miscalculated, Romania will be awarding the bronze medal to Ana Maria Barbosu on Friday in Bucharest.

Chiles, who has been the victim of repeated hateful and racist attacks online, has mostly remained off social media while the arbitration system plays out. On Thursday, she released a statement calling the CAS ruling “devastating” and vowed to keep fighting for the medal.

“I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing,” Chiles wrote.

The 23-year-old gymnast will return to UCLA to compete this collegiate season and is likely to contend for the 2028 Olympic team when the games come to Los Angeles.