5 days. That’s how long Jordan Chiles basked in the glory of her bronze medal before a staggering twist in the tale had her first-ever individual Olympic hardware snatched from her. After hours of legal battle, the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) dismissed Team USA’s inquiry, which had uplifted Chiles’ score in the floor exercise finals and awarded her rank  back to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu. But after this devastating episode of ‘here today, gone tomorrow,’ the Chiles squad has now shown they have their girl’s back.

Taking to Instagram, Simone Biles added an image with Chiles—the one taken right after the floor exercise finals—showing her embracing her overwhelmed best friend, who’s in tears. Planting seeds of encouragement, Biles wrote, “Sending you so much love Jordan🤍keep your chin up olympic champ! we love you!”

A few hours prior, Chiles’ teammate Suni Lee also threw her support behind the ousted gymnast. Sharing USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s official statement to her Instagram story, the 21-year-old gymnast criticized the judges involved in the process: “all this talk about the athlete, what about the judges?? completely unacceptable. this is awful and i’m gutted for jordan. i got your back forever Jo💛 u have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an olympic champion💐” 

Notably, CAS ruled that Jordan appeal exceeded the one-minute time limit provided by article 8.5 of the 2024 FIG Technical Regulations. This has led many to question why the judges chose to accept the inquiry from Team USA if they were aware of the ruling. Others also opined how an error on the judges’ part has pushed an athlete toward worldwide embarrassment.

Voicing a similar stand as Lee, the Paris Olympics vault bronze medalist, Jade Carey also came out poured in her support for Chiles. Reposting the same post on her Instagram story, she demanded, “don’t punish the athlete for someone else’s mistake.” Carey further extended her full-blown support to Chiles saying, “with you all the way jo. you are forever an olympic champion that has so much to be proud of ❤️“

Furthermore, the youngest addition to the 2024 Women’s Artistic Gymnastics squad also assured Jordan Chiles that she is standing right by her side. In her Instagram story, Hezly Rivera wrote, “love you @jordanchiles and will always support you!!!”

Amidst the controversy, Jordan Chiles announced her decision to take a break from social media, writing, “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thankyou.”

On a separate note, Ana Bărbosu also shared a heartwarming message for her teammate and Jordan Chiles.

Ana Bărbosu is full of hope

It’s been 16 years since Romania last scored a podium finish for gymnastics in the Olympics. So, coming this year, hopes were high. For 18-year-old Bărbosu, the dream merely touched her fingers before slipping away. For those of us who watched the event live, the gymnast’s teary-eyed exit from the podium was a stark reminder of what heartbreak looks like after a life of hard work and dedication. Ironically, the tables have now turned.

This time, it’s Jordan Chiles who’s caught in the crossfire, waiting to bid goodbye to her achievement. While the Romanian gymnast is set to be reinstated to her original position, she couldn’t help but lend her support to her competitors. “Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts go out to you. I know very well that it hurts, because I have been through the same states. But I know you and I’m sure you’ll have the strength to come back even stronger. I sincerely hope that the at the next Olympic Games we will be on the same podium. This is my dream,” Bărbosu said.

Jordan Chiles sister, Jazmin Chiles, on the other hand, was left fuming with the ruling. Blaming racism for the unfortunate incident, she wrote on her Instagram Story, “In the history of the Olympics, no one has ever been stripped of their medal for this. There are only two ways you can be stripped of your medal: cheating or doping. She did neither.”

“Four seconds. Her bronze was stripped over four seconds that would have never needed to happen if the judges did their job. Racism is real, it exists, it is alive and well,” she further alleged.

This is not the first time racism allegations have come into the picture. Before CAS’ decision, too, Jordan Chiles mother mentioned how “racially disgusting comments” are still being made in 2024.

As for USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s joint statement, it read “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.” 

Even Coach Cecile Landi added a story, displaying a broken heart emoji with ‘#mentalhealthmatters’ written at the bottom. The intense court ruling that came out with a dramatic twist seems to have affected Jordan Chiles immensely. However, she has Team USA’s unreserved support. What do you think of this full-scale support for Chiles? Let us know below.