Jordan Chiles Called Out By Romanian Gymnast After Being Stripped Of Bronze Medal

Jordan Chiles won her first-ever individual Olympic medal in style. This was after the American gymnast placed third in Monday’s floor final to add to her gold medal win in the team all-around competition earlier in the Games.
Chiles’ bronze medal finish, however, did not come without controversy.
Chiles was supposed to finish in fifth with a final score of 13.666. Coach Cecile Landy, however, decided to submit an inquiry to the committee after suspecting that Chiles’ score may have been erroneously judged.
She was right.

After a review, the judges bumped up Chiles’ score to 13.766, which was enough for a podium finish for the two-time NCAA champion. Chiles burst out into tears after seeing her score overturned in what was truly an incredible moment for the decorated U.S. gymnast.

Amid the euphoria of Chiles’ win, however, was the heartbreak of Romanian Sabrina Voinea, whose final score of 13.700 would have been enough for a bronze medal had it not been for Chiles’ successful protest.

Voinea voiced her brutally honest thoughts on the controversial turn of events in an interview shortly after being stripped of a bronze medal.

“Simone Biles is a good athlete but the American in third place, Jordan Chiles, made low landings and even left [the] carpet,” Voinea said, as translated by Kickboxing Romania on X, formerly Twitter.
“I was not penalized. I filed [for an] appeal and it remained [the] same mark. Chiles kept protesting and [the judges] changed her mark. I had a much better exercise than her.”
You can’t help but feel for the 17-year-old, who will be going home empty-handed after what was an incredible performance in the floor final. After all, to be denied a place in history because of a technicality is just cruel.