Chiles had earlier responded to the news on social media by posting four broken heart emojis on a black background. She followed up with a second post which read: “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health. Thank you.”
Chiles initially scored 13.666 in the final, putting her in fifth place in the competition, leaving Barbosu, who scored 13.700, to believe she had won the bronze medal. The Romanian thought she had clinched the last spot on the podium after edging out Maneca-Voinea via a tiebreaker – the pair had finished with matching scores – and began celebrating with a Romanian flag.
But she was in tears after Landi successfully appealed the difficulty rating Chiles scored for her routine which saw judges add 0.1 to her score, which saw her leapfrog both Romanians.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation has asked for three bronze medals to be awarded, while Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu welcomed the ruling, saying “justice has been served” and that “in the end, the truth prevailed.”
USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee reacted to the CAS ruling by saying Chiles had been targeted on social media in the wake of her bronze.
“The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring,” they said in a joint statement.
“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media. No athlete should be subject to such treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who engage, support or instigate them. We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her.”
After returning home to Romania, Barbosu said she had no hard feelings towards Chiles. “I only want for everybody to be fair, we don’t want to start picking on other athletes of any nationality,” she told reporters.
The saga has tinged what was a heartwarming scene on the podium when Chiles and Simone Biles knelt to honour Rebeca Andrade, the Brazilian star who claimed gold. After the image went viral and there were suggestions it might be displayed in the Louvre in the vicinity of the Mona Lisa.
