"I could see my mom shaking her head" - Jordan Chiles reveals the moment she learned of being stripped of her bronze medal

The acclaimed artistic gymnast Jordan Chiles has recently reflected on the moment she heard the CAS ruling against her favor last year. She also conveyed her mother’s emotions when they found out that their case for the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Apart from the team event in the Paris Games, Chiles also competed in the floor exercise event, and her initial score was revised after coach Cecile Canqueteau-Landi submitted an inquiry. Her revised score earned her a bronze medal. However, later, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed the decision based on the inquiry being submitted after the allotted deadline.

CAS ruled against Team USA's favor, and the International Gymnastics Federation moved forward with Chiles' original score, with Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu earning the bronze medal. She reflected on the decision and shared the sentiments her mother was going through in her exclusive excerpt from her memoir, I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams, via People Magazine.

“And therefore, they are overturning the inquiry. That drops Jordan back down to fifth place. Ana will take the medal, and Sabrina will take fourth place. Suddenly, the car went quiet."

She continued,

“I’m surprised everyone couldn’t hear the sound of my heart breaking, because it absolutely did, there in that back seat. My brain stopped even functioning within my body. Somewhere faraway, I could see my mom shaking her head, and hear her saying “Why? Why!”

Chiles recalled the experience she went through when she heard that the decision did not turn out in their favour. However, she won the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medal in the team event. During her career, she has secured three medals from the World Championships and three medals from the Pan American Games.

Jordan Chiles reflects on her winning strategies and community's support

Jordan Chiles at the Penn State v UCLA - Source: Getty

Jordan Chiles is an acclaimed gymnast and represents the UCLA Bruins in her collegiate career. Along with her international accolades, she has also won two Pac-12 titles and two NCAA championships. During her appearance on Nasdaq last year, the gymnast shared her insights on her “winning formula”.

“I believe my winning formula is just all the support that I've gotten from a lot of people. I think the biggest thing is the younger generation looking up to you. Whether you're a hero and inspiration and idol, however they feel. It's really for the community around me because a lot of people have sacrificed a lot of things,” Chiles shared [0:30 onwards].

Jordan Chiles highlighted that receiving support from individuals around her has been significant to her successful career. She also reflected that being a role model for the community is a cornerstone of success for her. Recently, the notable gymnast was selected as one of Time's 2025 Women of the Year.