Jordan Chiles names main culprit behind Olympic bronze medal controversy

Jordan Chiles recently shared her thoughts on the individual she believes is responsible for her Olympic bronze medal controversy. The two-time Olympic medalist expressed her thoughts in her memoir, “I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams”.

Chiles recently released her memoir, in which she discussed the physical and psychological limitations she faced in gymnastics. Furthermore, the 23-year-old also mentioned the prejudice she has faced in the sport.

Her memoir includes a foreword by her closest friend and teammate, the 11-time Olympic medalist, Simone Biles. Regarding the Olympic medal controversy, she blamed Romanian artistic gymnast Ana Bărbosu's coach. She mentioned (via the Daily Mail):

“I was crushed and angry. None of this would have happened if Ana's coach, who knew that Cecile had submitted an inquiry right after my floor routine, had waited for the inquiry results to come in before allowing Ana to take the podium, holding her flag.”

She further continued:

“That was highly unusual and premature. Our coaches would not have allowed us to do that. Everyone knows you don't celebrate until after everything is final - and an inquiry for my score had been announced.”

Chiles and the US team won the gold medal in the team all-around event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also participated in the floor exercise event. Her initial score was revised after coach Cécile Landi submitted an inquiry. However, the inquiry was subject to an appeal by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, who stated that it had been made after the one-minute allotted deadline.

Chiles’ revised score had earned her a bronze medal. Later, her primary score was reinstated as both the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) decided to uphold the initial scoring. Subsequently, the bronze medal was given to Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu.

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Jordan Chiles reflected on receiving Time Magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ honor

Jordan Chiles at UCLA v Washington - Source: Getty

Jordan Chiles has become a notable artistic gymnast and has earned numerous accolades throughout her ongoing collegiate and gymnastics career. During her recent appearance on the “Jennifer Hudson Show,” she shared her thoughts on being named one of Time magazine's Women of the Year for 2025.

“Thank you to everybody who's supported me through all my ups and downs. It just thinks of times of me being a little kid having an imagination of one day being on a cover and now look, I'm here and wow, it's just amazing. I love it,” Jordan Chiles mentioned. [0:07 onwards]

She mentioned that she was “very proud” of herself and expressed appreciation to all her supporters. Furthermore, the talented gymnast added that she is honored to become an inspiration for individuals. She also highlighted her authenticity and persona for her driving ambition.