The last several days had been going well for Jordan Chiles. She appeared in an MLB match to throw the first pitch at Citi Field. She strutted down the runway promoting Kim Shui’s Spring Summer 2025 collection. Chiles even posed with Tyla at Nike’s Look of Victory exhibition in New York. At last, the Olympian came to UBS Arena to play the role of the presenter at the MTV VMAs award on Wednesday. She shared the stage with co-presenter Flavor Flav, who gave her the promised bronze clock-shaped medal. But the pleasant symphony broke on the same day. 

The same day, Jordan Chiles appeared in her first interview after facing the medal fiasco on the last day of the Paris Olympics. However, her responses failed to touch several netizens. They ranted at her statements, ridiculing her for playing the so-called victim card.

Jordan Chiles fears about her identity getting hurt because of the fiasco 

At the Forbes Power Women’s Summit, Jordan Chiles was asked about the things that had been taken from her in the name of the Olympic bronze medal. The 23-year-old took a moment to gather herself to respond. The emotional rundown caught her as, in a broken voice, she laid out, “The biggest thing that was taken from me was, it was the recognition of who I was. Not just my sport, but the person I am,” indicating her belonging to the Black community. Later, she added, “To me, everything that has gone on is not about the medal, it’s about, you know, my skin color.” Hardly anyone present in the hall could think about Jordan Chiles bringing in the issue that had made her once MIA on social media. 

After the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the American gymnast must return her medal, she faced relentless criticism on social media. On August 15, she shared a lengthy post on X, detailing her personal struggle with the situation. The challenge felt even more daunting due to the “racially driven attacks” she encountered online. Notably, Chiles’s bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise at the Paris Olympics contributed to the first-ever all-Black podium in the event’s Olympic history.

However, after Jordan’s stripping of her medal, that record also could not be settled. So, the burden felt heavier for her. Furthermore, the embroiled situation led her to add, “It’s about the fact that there were things that have led up to this position of being an athlete and I felt like everything has been stripped.” However, a sizable chunk of netizens did not take the mention of ‘skin color’ well. On X, they inflicted further criticism on Jordan for her words yesterday.

Fans ‘roll their eyes’ after hearing the Olympian’s words about the controversy 

After the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that the American gymnast must return her medal, she faced relentless criticism on social media. On August 15, she shared a lengthy post on X, detailing her personal struggle with the situation. The challenge felt even more daunting due to the “racially driven attacks” she encountered online. Notably, Chiles’s bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise at the Paris Olympics contributed to the first-ever all-Black podium in the event’s Olympic history. Rather, one fan commented, “It’s an embarrassing attempt to play a race card when no race card was in play.” 

Above all, several fans who had once supported Jordan’s cause seemed to feel rattled by her latest comment. One such follower penned, “I was 100% behind Jordan chiles getting her medal situation rectified as she 100% deserves it. But when I read ‘it’s because my skin color’ rather then s****y p**s poor ioc management I can’t help but roll my eyes.” The argument remained clear in a fan’s comment, “Jordan Chiles says stripping of Olympic bronze took away ‘the person I am’. Apparently it’s because she’s black… Typical go-to.” On the other hand, several gave examples of Simone Biles, who had also been in the same event. 

Despite being the favorite, she couldn’t defeat Rebeca Andrade. But that did not move her, bringing the topic of skin color to the fore. A critic used that part of reality to rant to Jordan Chiles in the comment, “I call BS. Last I checked, Simone Biles is also black.” Therefore, a part of the gymnastics fan felt it hard to give credit to Chiles for the gold medal in the team event at the Paris Olympics. Rather, someone claimed, “Jordan Chiles is not an olympian. She’s a sore loser.” The situation took a vicious turn, almost similar to what Jordan Chiles had feared before.