Jordan Chiles’ mom, Gina Chiles, came to her daughter’s defense after the gymnast received backlash for her floor exercise bronze medal win after her coach appealed her original score.
“The racist disgusting comments are still happening in 2024,” Gina wrote via X on Friday, August 9.
“I’m tired of people who say it no longer exists. My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched … and she’s being called disgusting things.”
Jordan, 23, initially placed fifth in the Monday, August 5, floor exercise final before Team USA filed an inquiry about one of her skills, claiming she performed a tour jeté full.
Judges ultimately accepted the inquiry, moving Jordan up from fifth place to third and securing her a bronze medal. (Jordan initially scored 13.666 for her routine and was bumped to 13.766 after the inquiry was accepted.)
Team USA gymnast Simone Biles earned a silver medal in the event and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade took home the gold.
Romanian gymnast Ana Bårbosu sat in third before Jordan’s inquiry was evaluated. She began to celebrate on the floor with her country’s flag before realizing she did not win the bronze. During the broadcast, Barbosu, 18, was seen walking away from the event in tears.
Gina isn’t the only person to come to Jordan’s defense, as her coach, Cécile Canqueteau-Landi, also shut down rumblings that Jordan “stole” the medal.
“I shouldn’t have to explain but I will ONCE,” Canqueteau-Landi wrote on Tuesday, August 6, via Instagram. “Jordan’s highest possible SV on floor is a 5.9- At quals and team finals she received a 5.8 and we didn’t question it because we saw that not all elements were completed. During floor finals, we thought [it] was better and being placed 5th with nothing to lose, I sent the inquiry so I wouldn’t regret not asking. I didn’t think it would be accepted and at my surprise it was.”
Canqueteau-Landi explained she “simply did my job and fought for my athlete,” despite feeling empathy for Bårbosu.
She continued, “Do I feel bad for the Romanian athlete? Of course I do! It was so sad and heartbreaking to see, but it is the sport! You don’t have to like it but you do have to respect the outcome and more importantly respect Jordan and not drag her down because you disagree. She EARNED that bronze medal, her 1st individual Olympic medal and I couldn’t be more proud and excited!”
After securing her place on the podium, Jordan recalled the “true emotions” of the moment that left “everybody” in tears.
“Honestly, there were so many emotions going through my body in that moment,” Jordan said in a Today appearance on Thursday, August 8. “There [were] a lot of things happening, [from] me not being on the podium to me being on the podium. I think the biggest thing is just always understanding not to doubt yourself, and just to let everything ride out how it’s supposed to be.”
Team Romania also submitted an inquiry about gymnast Sabrina Maneca-Voinea’s performance, who ultimately placed fifth, but her score remained unchanged. (Maneca-Voinea, 17, and Bårbosu both finished with matching scores of 13.700 but because Bårbosu had a higher execution score, she placed higher at the end of the competition.)
Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, sent a letter of protest to the Gymnastics Federation in a Tuesday Facebook post, asking for Maneca-Voinea’s score to be looked at once more. The post also revealed that the gymnast made a “public declaration to give up practicing this sport” as a result of the loss.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced the same day that he would be skipping the Paris Olympics closing ceremony in protest, claiming the country’s athletes were “treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner.”
He wrote, “To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!”
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Source: Tampa Bay Times
