Cecile Landi made a costly mistake that cost Team USA an Olympic medal! Landi, who is the head coach of Team USA gymnastics, is regarded as one of the best gymnast coaches of all time. However, when the controversy about Jordan Chiles dug deeper, Landi was found to be at fault. According to the official IOC rules, a gymnast is allowed 3–4 minutes of time to appeal for an inquiry. 

However, that rule changes in the case of the last participating athlete. They are entitled to only 1 minute to challenge the judges’ score. And this is where Cecile Landi had a slip-up. According to the official CAS statement, Chiles was found to be four seconds late to make the inquiry. For the uninitiated, an inquiry can only be subliminally made by an ‘accredited on-field coach’, which, in the case of Team USA, was Cecile Landi. It is understood that she had a slight miscalculation and was four seconds late in doing so. 

The detailed rule about submitting an inquiry has been posted on X by a social media user named ‘Pamchenkova’. It read, “Among other things that need reforming, this is among them. For all other gymnasts in the final, roughly 3-4 minutes are permitted to make an inquiry. For the last gymnast of the final? Max. 1 minute. Jordan’s inquiry was 4 seconds late.”  Competing in the women’s floor final, Jordan Chiles was initially awarded the fourth position. However, Team USA submitted an inquiry, after which her score rose to 13.766. 

Such an outcome resulted in Ana Barbosu of Romania losing her third position with a score of 13.700. Following this loss, Romania appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports. After a detailed and careful analysis, the CAS decided to award the bronze to Barbosu. Amidst the raging controversy, gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci had a unique point of view to explain. 

Nadia Comaneci wants a triple-bronze winner

Romanian gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci has voiced her concerns about the ongoing Jordan Chiles controversy. She stated that irrespective of the nationality of the gymnast, these sudden back and forth impacts the mental health of an athlete a great deal. Comaneci posted a video to her Instagram story which depicted Barbosa standing with her national flag, ready to celebrate. However, as the scores were displayed, Barbosa’s elation turned into despair and she started to break down. 

On the contrary, Jordan Chiles too, broke down in tears when she won the bronze medal. Thus, these incidents are enough to justify how much mental attachment an athlete has to her sport. Thus, in order to solve the issue, Comaneci suggested that the bronze medal should be given to both Jordan Chiles and Ana Barbosu. This way, everyone will have a fond memory of Paris. Well, unfortunately, that did not happen. And while the gymnastics world is riled up, it’s interesting to look out for new updates.