Jordan Chiles addresses how she navigated criticism following bronze medal controversy

Notable gymnast, Jordan Chiles, represented the US Team at the Paris Olympics, where she secured a gold medal in the team all-around event. During her discussion with Time Magazine, Chiles shared her thoughts on her bronze medal controversy and its aftermath.

The two-time Olympic medalist faced a contentious situation during the floor exercise event at the Paris Olympics. Chiles faced emotional challenges and critical comments online due to the controversy revolving around her floor exercise bronze medal. In a discussion with Lucy Feldman, she shared how she navigated the judgmental comments:

“At the beginning, it was hard. It was something that I had to just push through and see where it would go. I'm in college now, and I have the ability to perform my life away at UCLA. People are always coming to me and just being like, “You're always gonna be loved.” So I'm now just able to take what I have, let everybody do the outside work, and just push myself forward.”

Her initial score was revised after coach Cécile Landi submitted an inquiry. It secured her the bronze medal but later the Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed that the inquiry was made after the permissible time. As a result, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Chiles’ inquiry was made late and reinstated the bronze medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu.

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Jordan Chiles reflects on her daunting moments from the Tokyo Olympics

Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles at the 2024 Summer Olympics - Day 10 - Source: Getty

Jordan Chiles is a prominent gymnast who has secured multiple accolades throughout her career. During the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Simone Biles decided to skip several events due to her mental health concerns and Chiles had to step up for the role. While appearing on the Jennifer Hudson Show, she shared what her thoughts were regarding the decision.

“That was a three-second transition for me from my coach telling me 'hey you have to put your grips on, to go on to bars and you're also stepping in to go on beam'. I was just like... 'I'm gonna have to put my feet into somebody's shoes that are bigger than mine'... I told her, ‘this is the last and only time I will ever be doing this for you because it was the most scariest thing in my life’,” she shared. [0:24 onwards]

Jordan Chiles represents the UCLA Bruins and has three World Championship medals along with four Pacific Rim Championship medals. Chiles shared that taking the role in place of Biles during the Tokyo Olympics was unnerving for her but eventually, the team was able to win a silver medal.