Jordan Chiles is here, claiming big while donning the UCLA gymnastics banner. In addition, her Romanian rival, Ana Barbosu, is also joining the NCAA mix. And you got a perfect recipe for some exhilarating madness. Also, competitive gymnastics is here. The only missing piece was the Paris Olympics women’s floor exercise controversy.

Lately, the topic has entered the mix. However, the American gymnast spilled the ultimate truth a long time ago on NBC’s Today show in November. In the tête-à-tête, Chiles said, “I can only control what my truth is. And I know what the truth is. And I know that we were right in everything that we were doing.” Since August last year, she has been doing that, and every time the issue has been gaining a few more pages. Now, the legal fight is in the field of the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. 

And lately, there have been a few more developments in the proceedings. After all, it is not in any party’s hands anymore. As Chiles said, she can only ‘control her truth.’ And how is she doing that and what are the latest developments? 

The legal fight in the Federal Supreme Court witnesses fresh submissions 

In August last year, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against Jordan Chiles’s increased score in the floor exercise final of the Paris Olympics. Claiming her score invalid, the governing body directed its final verdict. Any reason to overturn the jury’s decision in the final? As per CAS, the American team had been outside of the allowed time window to appeal to prove Chiles’s additional score.

So, the Oregon native had to lose her maiden individual Olympic medal and Barbosu was awarded the bronze medal for her score amassed in the floor exercise final. But Jordan and Team USA upped their voices, protesting against the ruling.

They claimed to abide by every rule since the beginning and they had proofs to justify Chiles’s achievement. Meanwhile, in September, the case reached the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, the only body to say anything about CAS’ rulings. As per the report published on Businesswire, Chiles’ legal counsel submitted two additional briefs in court recently. 

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Yes I believe she was treated unfair she clearly won. And the way they handled the matter was totally wrong....more

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The briefs are seen as the response to arguments submitted by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, CAS, and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). Notably, RGF hasn’t been against Jordan Chiles’s achievement. Rather, the Romanian body has been wanting a justified solution where Ana Barbosu’s original score could be valued properly (13.700).

On the other hand, Jordan Chiles has remained on her claim to amass 13.766, the rectified score that earned her the Olympic bronze medal. But as per CAS’ judgment, Jordan’s score is 13.666, the one that she earned before US gymnastics coach Cecile Landi’s appeal to the jury just after the final event in Paris. 

Since CAS’ rulings in August, Jordan Chiles and Team USA have been blaming the body ruling for one-sided revocation. According to them, CAS didn’t consider several crucial pieces of evidence. So, they have claimed the ruling, standing on loose ground. However, Jordan is now on her way to confirm her place in the college gymnastics.

After CAS’s ruling, she came to the receiving end, facing harsh criticism. The online attack made her bid goodbye to her social media presence. But now, five months later, she is instrumental in helping UCLA land big numbers in the season. How?

Jordan Chiles winning hearts in the college arena 

On January 18, Jordan Chiles did what had been considered a tough job in college gymnastics this season. In the duel against Maryland, she scored a perfect 10 in the uneven bars event. Before her, only Helen Hu from Mizzou Gymnastics made the mark this season on the balance beam. Chiles did it under thorough pressure. She had to lift her program against Maryland while the latter was scoring points in buckets. In the end, Chiles threw a few more high scores to make the Bruins victorious. But her success isn’t limited to scoring big numbers on the mat. 

This season, Jordan Chiles has earned the tag of all-rounder away from the mat. Want evidence? The meet against Maryland at the Xfinity Center drew 7,287 fans in the stands. In comparison with the footfalls in LSU Tigers’ gymnastics home matches, the Bruins’ number may not stand big. But previously, the program saw an attendance record of 2,207.

And now it has reached more than triple that count. Does the Olympian have any impact on that? It could be. Bruins’ head coach Janelle McDonald has already claimed, “She’s [Jordan Chiles] only been back with us for a few weeks, but she has this ability to just elevate the room around her.

He continues, “She brings this energy and this passion to the table each and every day that inspires the people around her. And it’s really cool this year seeing that she’s taken all the experiences that she’s had and brought it in as a leadership role.” So, it is more than just performing on the mat. So? Chiles is winning her fights slowly. Isn’t she?