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Jordan Chiles must return bronze medal, IOC says
Jordan Chiles. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Chiles must return bronze medal, IOC says

American gymnast Jordan Chiles has received the unfortunate news that she will have to return her Olympic bronze medal from the women's floor routine.

After a Saturday decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned Chiles' coach's score inquiry because it was deemed to have been filed four seconds after the legal deadline, the American was bumped down from third to fifth in the official standings.

Chiles coach believed her routine's difficulty score was incorrect and made a formal appeal immediately after her performance. The judges agreed they had made a mistake, and the subsequent score correction bumped Chiles up from fifth to third.

Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu will now receive the bronze medal she thought she had originally won before Chiles' score was corrected.

The Romanian delegation filed the appeal with the CAS that prompted the reversal of Chiles' inquiry but reportedly suggested in its filing to let Chiles keep her medal but also award bronze medals to Barbosu and another Romanian who finished in fourth.

That will not happen, and Chiles will become the first athlete to be stripped of an Olympic medal as a result of a judging error — all other cases were due to doping or rule breaking.

The rollercoaster saga has been tough on both athletes. Barbosu was seen crying after the Chiles score correction was posted after she had already begun celebrating making the Olympic podium.

And Chiles was reportedly the victim of racially-based online harassment after she had originally won bronze. Her mother, Gina Chiles, took to X to call out the blatant racism her daughter has had to endure in the aftermath.

It is unclear how Chiles will have to return the medal and whether there will be any public ceremony for Barbosu upon receiving hers.

The U.S Olympic Committee says it will appeal the CAS decision.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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