CNN
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Gymnastics is full of twists and turns, but the unfolding saga of which gymnast will officially win the bronze medal at the 2024 Olympic women’s artistic exercise finals is more complicated than anyone expected.
US gymnast Jordan Chiles was robbed of her first individual Olympic medal after the Romanian gymnastics team challenged her final score. Although Team USA’s appeal of that ruling was rejected Monday evening, the battle for bronze is far from over.
Here’s what you need to know.
The competition was fierce – and it was always close
The gymnastics women’s floor exercise final was set to be a nail-biting contest before Chiles stepped onto the mat for the final on August 5. Romania’s Ana Parbosu and her teammate Sabrina Manega-Voinia, were built with 13,700 marks.
Chiles’ chance of winning his first individual medal and gracing the Olympic podium comes to just under a tenth of a point.
The 23-year-old gymnast confidently executed her floor routine to a Beyonce medley, and all three athletes anxiously waited for the judges to announce her score.
Chile was initially awarded a score of 13.666, placing her in fifth place. But as the stadium erupted in cheers after Brazil’s Rebecca Andrade won the gold medal, USA gymnastics coach Cecile Landy questioned Chiles’ difficulty.
Minutes later, Silistan was the first to notice the judges’ decision — jumping up and down like a dazed Landy on the leaderboard. The judges adjusted her score by 0.1 of a point, and she scored 13.766 to win the bronze.
The win was historic – the first time a black woman had won all three positions on the Olympic podium. In a remarkable display of sportsmanship, Chiles suggested that she and Biles playfully bow to Andrade. The move was captured in an iconic photo that instantly made sports history.
But the celebration will be short-lived.
International Gymnastics Federation Regulations Allow a coach to challenge difficulty scores “if they were made verbally immediately after the score was published.”
The guidelines call for a coach to verbally question the last gymnast in a rotation one minute after being shown the score.
As Chiles was the final gymnast, her coaches were racing against the clock.
“The person appointed to receive the oral hearing shall record the time of receiving it in writing or electronically, and this shall commence the procedure”.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation and gymnasts Bǎrbosu and Maneca-Voinea filed an official challenge with the Court of Arbitration for Sport to review the circumstances surrounding Chile’s decision to correct the score.
They argued that USA Gymnastics’ hearing was filed 4 seconds after the one-minute time limit and that Chiles’ initial score of 13.666 should be upheld. Three athletes, gymnasts arguedA medal shall be awarded to each placed third.
The following week, the appeals process took place behind the scenes. Later, on Saturday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld Romania’s challenge.
Sports Management Committee declared The interrogatory submitted on behalf of Chiles was “raised after the expiration of the one-minute time limit … and was determined to be of no consequence.”
“The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastics shall determine the ranking of the women’s floor exercise final and award the medal(s) in accordance with the above decision,” the Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement.
It was later announced that Romania’s Peerbosu would be awarded the bronze.
USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said, “We are devastated.” Joint Statement Following the verdict. “The inquiry into the difficulty rating of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith, and we believed it was in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring.”
It also noted that Chiles has been subjected to “completely baseless and highly offensive attacks on social media”.
Following the CAS decision, Chiles posted four broken heart emojis on his Instagram story and announced his retirement from social media. “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health,” she wrote.
Hours later, USA Gymnastics announced that it had formally submitted a letter and additional evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to appeal the ruling.
The team said In a statement It submitted time-stamped video evidence showing that USA Gymnastics coach Landy submitted his inquiry, “47 seconds after the score was posted, and the second statement 55 seconds after the score was first posted.”
The group said it did not have footage prior to the tribunal’s decision, and later argued there were “significant errors” in the initial scoring and CAS appeals processes.
“Given these circumstances, we are committed to continuing the appeal to help Jordan Chiles get the recognition he deserves. We remain committed to supporting him as Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter expeditiously and fairly,” the team said in a statement.
USA Gymnastics has rejected its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to allow Chiles to retain her floor exercise bronze medal.
“USA Gymnastics was informed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow them to reconsider a referee’s decision even if conclusive new evidence is presented,” the organization said in a statement. Report On Monday evening, it will continue the case.
“We are deeply disappointed by the announcement and will pursue every possible avenue and appeals process, including the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure proper scoring, placement and medal award for Jordan.”
CNN has reached out to CAS and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee for comment.
It’s unclear how long the appeal will take to work its way through the jury — and it’s unclear whether Chiles has already returned the medal.
While score revisions are not uncommon, Chiles’ case is unusual. In the past, athletes were stripped of their medals if the International Olympic Committee found evidence of illegal doping.
Superstar Usain Bolt was forced to return the 4x100m relay gold medal he won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after his teammate Nesta Carter was found to have taken a banned drug.
CNN’s Jacob Lev, Issy Ronald, Ben Morse, Dan Moriarty and David Close contributed to this report.
