Jordan Chiles' Heartbreaking Reaction To Revoked Bronze Medal
Despite walking away from the women's gymnastics floor final with a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics — her first in an individual event — Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles' win has since been revoked, bumping the competitor to fifth place after reinstating the judges' initial scores, according to ESPN. And as one might imagine, Chiles, her family, and her teammates are distraught over the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision.
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00:00Despite walking away from the women's gymnastics floor final with a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris
00:06Olympics, her first in an individual event, Team USA gymnast Jordan Childs' win has since been
00:13revoked, bumping the competitor to fifth place after reinstating the judges' initial scores,
00:18according to ESPN. And as one might imagine, Childs, her family, and her teammates are
00:24distraught over the court of arbitration for sports decision. After Childs performed her
00:29floor routine during the finals on August 5th, Team USA coach Cecile Landi appealed the judges'
00:36score noting that Childs had been underscored, according to NPR. Agreeing that they'd miscalculated
00:41her difficulty score, the judges boosted Childs' 13.666 by 0.1, placing her ahead of her Romanian
00:50competitors, Anna Barbosu and Sabrina Maneka-Voinea, and lifting her into third place.
00:57Childs' glory was short-lived, however, as the Romanian team contested Team USA's inquiry the
01:02next day in an effort to reinstate Barbosu as the rightful medal winner with the Fédération
01:08Internationale des Gymnastiques. On August 10th, CAS then decided to void Team USA's appeal,
01:14claiming Landi submitted the inquiry one minute and four seconds after Childs completed her routine,
01:20four seconds too late. While the Romanian contenders reportedly requested to have all
01:25three women ranked third so they could share the bronze medal honor, CAS seemingly denied said
01:30request. According to The Washington Post, the International Olympic Committee confirmed that
01:35Childs will be required to return her medal. In the meantime, the gymnast has opted to lay low.
01:41In the wake of the court of arbitration for sports' decision to revoke her third-place standing,
01:46Jordan Childs opted to take some time away from the ridicule she's faced on social media.
01:51On August 10th, shortly after the ruling was handed down, Childs took to her Instagram stories,
01:56writing,
01:57"...I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health. Thank you."
02:03Childs' sister Jasmine also took to Instagram Stories to defend her sister and call out the
02:08racist backlash against Childs. Jasmine wrote,
02:11"...racism is real. It exists. It is alive and well. They have officially, five days later,
02:17stripped her of one of her medals. Not because she didn't win, not because she was drugged,
02:22not because she stepped out of bounds, not because she wasn't good enough,
02:25but because the judges failed to give her difficulty and forced an inquiry to be made."
02:30Childs' mother Gina took to X to call out the racist attacks, too. Gina wrote,
02:35"...my daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship
02:40that is unmatched, and she's being called disgusting things."
02:43And Childs' teammates have their fellow Golden Girls back, too.
02:47Hesley Rivera took to Instagram Stories to write,
02:50"...love you Jordan Childs and will always support you."
02:53And Childs' fellow floor final medal winner Simone Biles wrote,
02:57"...sending you so much love Jordan. Keep your chin up Olympic champ. We love you."
03:01But it was Jade Carey and Suni Lee who specifically called out the judges who
03:05failed to score Childs and her Romanian competitors correctly in the first place.
03:09Carey wrote on Instagram Stories,
03:11"...don't punish the athlete for someone else's mistake. With you all the way Jo,
03:16you are forever an Olympic champion that has so much to be proud of."
03:20Lee echoed the sentiment, writing,
03:22"...all this talk about the athlete, what about the judges? Completely unacceptable.
03:26This is awful and I'm gutted for Jordan. I got your back forever Jo,
03:30you have all my flowers and you will always be an Olympic champion."
03:35Childs' sister Jasmine also emphasized the discrepancy,
03:38noting that had the judges not failed to score the gymnast properly in the first place,
03:42there never would have been need for an inquiry. Jasmine wrote on Instagram Stories,
03:47"...four seconds. Her bronze was stripped over four seconds of time that would have
03:51never needed to happen if the judges did their job."
03:54In a separate story, Jasmine added,
03:56"...in the history of the Olympics, no one has ever been stripped of their medal for this."
04:01No matter what happens to Childs' medal,
04:03there's no question that she won gold when it comes to supportive friends and family.