A heartbreaking technicality is the reason why Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles has had her first individual Olympic medal taken away.
Following the women’s floor final in gymnastics, Chiles was placed fifth after scores were given, but after a difficulty score inquiry by coach Cecile Landi, her score was amended and she finished third, just behind Team USA teammate Simone Biles in second.
Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade took the gold medal, and the Americans helped to create one of the most iconic photos at the Olympics on the podium with their opponent.
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Chiles’ bronze medal was her first individual medal at the games, having won gold in the women’s all-around final with Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera.
Biles and Chiles created an iconic photo on the podium following the Gymnastics Floor event. (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
The individual achievement marked a landmark result for the 23-year-old though, having won two team Olympic medals up to this point.
But on Saturday (10 August) evening, the Court Arbitration for Sport reported that the inquiry was submitted beyond the one-minute deadline.
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It was decided by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) that the final floor results at the Olympics would be amended due to this, as the review was put in just four seconds after the deadline.
This meant that Romania’s Ana Barbosu, who originally came third prior to the review, was reinstated and Chiles was knocked back down to fifth, effectively being stripped of her only individual Olympic medal.
In the midst of the heartbreaking news, the most decorated Olympic US gymnast of all time, Simone Biles, posted words of support on Instagram towards teammate.
She wrote: “Sending you so much love Jordan, keep your chin up Olympic champ! We love you!”
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The Team USA gymnast has sadly been stripped of her Olympic medal. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
Chiles, meanwhile, posted a string of broken heart emojis on her Instagram Story and wrote: “I am taking this time to remove myself from social media for my mental health thank you.”
In a joint statement posted to X, USA Gymnastics and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said: “We are devastated by the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling regarding women’s floor exercise.
“The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring.
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“Throughout the appeal process, Jordan has been subject to consistent, utterly baseless and extremely hurtful attacks on social media.
“No athlete should be subject to such treatment. We condemn the attacks and those who engage, support or instigate them.
“We commend Jordan for conducting herself with integrity both on and off the competition floor, and we continue to stand by and support her.”
Chiles was previously under criticism for her reaction after missing out on the individual all-around final due to another rule, this one being that three competitors from the same country cannot compete in an Olympic final.
The most bizarre, discontinued Olympic sports Painting
An Olympic gold medal winning masterpiece? (Getty Stock Images/Catherine Falls Commercial)
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Back in the day, the Olympics dished out medals for art too, with events including painting and sculpture, as well as music, architecture and even literature.
Making its debut all the way back at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm and continuing until the 1948 London games, juries awarded competitors a total of 151 medals for artistic projects inspired by sport.
Tug of War
Maybe more suited to the playground than the Olympics (Martin Barraud)
Bet you didn’t think this playground classic was once part of the Olympics, did you?
Well, it turns out not only was the sport popular, but it stirred up a lot of drama too – with accusations of foul play flying around at the 1908 Olympics in London, with Team USA accusing Team GB of cheating due to their ‘illegal’ heavy footwear.
A mainstay for around five Olympic games from 1900 to 1920, Tug of War enthusiasts have even campaigned for organisers to reintroduce the retired sport back into the Games.
Hot Air Balloon Racing
This one must have been thrilling to watch (Getty Stock Images/Sam Revel)
Launching at the 1900 Olympics, hot air balloon drivers would compete in races scoring how far they could travel, altitude reached, ability to land within the correct coordinates and – to top it all off – who got the best photo from the balloon.
The sport ended up being canned after a ban on motorised sports was brought in.
Live Pigeon Shooting
Historically the Olympics were bad for pigeons (Getty Stock Images/ DESPITE STRAIGHT LINES (Paul Williams))
Also making its debut at the 1900 Olympics, the event was pretty self explanatory – a load of pigeons were released into the air as the competitor tried to shoot as many as possible. Grim.
The event only appeared at the Games once, and all in all, it’s estimated that Olympic hopefuls killed around 300 pigeons.
Pistol Duelling
A real blast from the past (Getty Stock Images/duncan1890)
It doesn’t take much guessing as to why this event was scrapped, but back in 1906, people clearly didn’t bat an eyelid at competitors waving pistols around and shooting at each other.
It began with competitors shooting at dummies, but two years later organisers decided to shake things up and have them shoot at each other with wax bullets. Ouch.
1908 would be the last time the sport was included in the Olympics, so I’m guessing they quickly realised it was a bad idea – wax bullets or not.
Featured Image Credit: Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images / Gabriel BOUYS/AFP
Topics: Olympics, Simone Biles, Social Media, Sport
