The world of gymnastics has never been shy of drama, but few controversies capture attention. One of them was between Ana Maria Barbosu and Jordan Chiles at the 2024 Paris Olympics. While Barbosu clinched a bronze, debates ignited far beyond the gymnastics floor. But this time, Barbosu’s journey back to her home from the National Championships has a different story.

This time, the spotlight dimmed for Barbosu as she fell short in her performance—couldn’t replicate her Olympic success. The National Championships 2024, held recently, showcased the grit of Romanian talent; Barbosu’s stumble raised eyebrows. Is the Romanian gymnast under pressure, or is Olympic victory a luck factor?

After Olympic bronze, Ana Maria Barbosu didn’t even come close in the National Championship

The National Championships have just concluded, and Ana Maria Barbosu was a part of it. But unfortunately, she couldn’t show the same charm as in the Paris Olympics in August. Barbosu participated in the event from two clubs (CSS Focsani and Steaua Bucharest) from Romania’s team along with Lilia Cosman (LPS Cetate Deva), Amalia Ghigoartă (LPS Cetate Deva), and Andreea Preda (SCM Deva).

The National Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2024 were scheduled for November 15-16, and the Romanian Cup for November 17. Barbosu is among 61 senior athletes divided into 10 clubs—31 women’s athletes and 30 men, reports News.ro.

Representing Steaua Bucharest Club and CSS Focsani, she got 12.750 points, combining two techniques consisting of 4.6 and 8.150 scores. Barbosu struggled to find her rhythm during the all-around competition. Her execution lacked the finesse and precision that left fans disappointed.

Everybody had high hopes with Ana Barbosu, as she had given great performances, whether in the 2024 Olympics or the 2020 Junior European Championships. An 18-year-old gymnast won six golds at the Junior European Championships, including a team event. She holds the title of six-time European junior champion. Barbosu won the 2024 Olympics bronze but indulged in a controversy with American gymnast Jordan Chiles.

Olympics controversy took a toll on Barbosu and Chiles

In the Paris Olympics 2024, Jordan Chiles was declared the winner of the bronze medal in the floor exercise, but her happiness couldn’t last long. Soon after, the Romanian gymnast appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, claiming the bronze medal, and Chile dropped to fifth place. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ordered Chile to hand over the bronze medal to Barbosu.

Chiles took to social media and expressed her feelings; she stated, “I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow not just to me but to everyone who has championed my journey.”

After two months of controversy, Ana Maria Barbosu expressed her feelings over the situation; she said, “Now I’m back on track with training and school. Especially with school, because I’m in the twelfth grade and I focus a lot on learning.” This shows her resilience towards sports and learning from the situations.

The emotions are justified, as during the whole incident, Barbosu was trolled by some critics. A few said, “Ana is a bad person,” while someone added, “Ana has poor sportsmanship for accepting the medal.” The incident left her with tears, and Nadia Comaneci came to her rescue—she urged fans to stop attacking Barbosu. Failure and success are part of the game; now it is to be seen what the future holds for Jordan Chiles and Ana Maria Barbosu.