“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,” read Jordan Chiles‘ heartbreaking statement after the IOC stripped her of her first individual Olympic medal. And the scene was exactly the opposite, some 5000 miles away, where Romania’s Ana Barbosu was being awarded the bronze she initially lost.

But even on this auspicious day, Barbosu’s mind was on the gymnasts who were wronged. At the recognition event in her hometown on August 16, Foscani, the gymnast mentioned how she had Chiles and her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voine on her mind. “I hope everyone understands that we have not done anything wrong at the Olympics,” Barbosu first expressed.

Surprisingly, the mishandling of the matter by the judges in Paris has been initially alleged as the root cause behind the controversy. On August 5, amidst a thunderous cheer from the stands, the Romanian initially believed she had clinched a bronze. Unable to contain herself, she draped her nation’s flag around her shoulder and celebrated her feat. But her joy soon turned into devastation when she looked at the scoreboard. Jordan Chiles was now above her in third place. Barbosu exited the arena teary-eyed.

On the other hand, just five days post Chiles’ incredible win, the US gymnast was also put through an emotional wringer by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

After initially placing 5th in the women’s floor exercise finals, her coach, Cecil Landi, appealed the score. Upon another review by the judges, the UCLA Bruins gymnast promptly moved to 3rd place, eventually standing on the third step of the podium. Romania’s officials weren’t too pleased with the result. And thus, an epic saga about who the bronze rightfully belongs to began. After careful consideration, the CAS established that the appeal by the coach was not made within the mandated time limit. The slip-up cost Chiles her medal.

As for the young Romanian Olympian, 11 days after the finals, the gymnast took in the bittersweet moment. “I can’t help but think about Sabrina and Jordan right now. It’s a difficult situation for us, with so many uncertainties and overwhelming emotions.” It has truly been a rollercoaster of emotions for the gymnasts. While she reiterated that there are no hard feelings, she believed there was more to this: “And that the Olympic spirit is more important than any misunderstanding between authorities.” But this wasn’t all she expressed.

Barbosu extended an olive branch towards the 18-year-old, saying, “I want to believe that the day will come when all three of us will receive a bronze medal each.” Notably, the USA Gymnastics’ appeal after the final ruling—with video evidence proving Chiles’ innocence—was also rejected in another heartbreaking moment. 

The 18-year-old’s teammate, Maneca-Voinea, was initially up for a third-place win. However, the judges penalized the gymnast for going out of bounds during her routine. While pictures and videos prove otherwise, Sabrina failed to submit an inquiry while on the field of play. Unfortunately, this sealed her fate, and she was in 4th place after the finals concluded.

As for coach, Cecile Landi, she was battling demons of her own.

Cecile Landi blamed for bronze controversy

Cecile Landi, the coach responsible for nurturing talents like Simone Biles, was at a critical place after the ruling. Despite giving the country countless accolades, fans couldn’t help but feel she had cheated her way into Chiles’ bronze medal.

In an appreciation post the coach uploaded for Biles and Chiles on August 6, an Instagram user had commented how “the coaches cheated so Jordan could get a medal! What a coincidence”.

The Bercy Arena prepared for a thrilling show of skills one last time on August 5. After stunning performances from those before her, Jordan Chiles stepped onto the mat. Her stellar floor routine earned her 13.666. But her coach, Cecile Landi, believed that the judges hadn’t scored her for the Gogean and raised an inquiry promptly after. Noticing their error, they then raised her final score by one-tenth. Her new score was now 13.766.

Landi soon responded back: “I shouldn’t have to explain but I will ONCE,” before adding, “Jordan’s highest possible [start value] on floor id a 5.9—At quals and team finals she received a 5.8 and we didn’t question it because we saw that not all the elements were completed.”

“During floor finals, we thought I was better and being placed 5th with nothing to lose, I sent the inquiry so I wouldn’t regret not asking. I didn’t think it would be accepted and at my surprise it was. Jordan won this bronze medal and didn’t steal anything from anyone…She EARNED that bronze medal,” the coach further clarified.

On a seperate note, this ordeal led the 23-year-old to step away from everything, choosing to focus on her mental health. But everyone agreed that this wouldn’t have happened if the judges had made the right call in the first place. Do you think it was the judges fault? Let us know in the comments below