MADRID, 16 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
American gymnast Jordan Chiles has called the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision to hand back the bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise final at the Paris Olympics to Romania’s Ana Barbosu “unfair,” a “very hard blow” for the American.
“I am speechless. This decision feels unfair and is a significant blow not only to me but to everyone who has fought for my career. I am now facing one of the most challenging moments of my career,” Chiles wrote on social media.
Romania’s Ana Barbosu finished third with a score of 13.700 in the floor event at the Games on Aug. 5, but dropped to fourth after the U.S. team lodged an objection following Chiles’ routine, which was upgraded to a score of 13.766.
But the Romanian team appealed this decision, arguing that the American team had submitted its query four seconds after the one-minute time limit. And this argument was acknowledged and accepted by the CAS, which returned the medal to Barbosu, while Chiles saw his score reduced again to 13.666.
Chiles said she had “poured” her “heart” and “soul” into this gymnastics and was very proud, although she insisted that she will seek “justice.” “I will approach this challenge as I have done with others and I will do my best to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing,” she concluded on Instagram.
USA Gymnastics has appealed to the CAS again, but the court has already confirmed that it will not reconsider its decision on the bronze. However, the organisation reiterated its support for its athlete on social media.
“The medal is bronze, but your heart is gold & NO ONE can take that away from you,” USA Gymnastics said on social media. “We are with you until the end,” the federation added in response to Chiles’ own post.