Jordan Chiles Shrugs Off Bronze Medal Controversy as Gymnast Set for Next Career Move

Aug 26, 2024 | 4:10 PM EDT

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Is Jordan Chiles, after all she’s been through, really considering giving up her career? Many athletes might have thrown in the towel after losing their first individual Olympic medal. But Jordan Chiles isn’t backing down; she’s using these challenges to fuel her growth. After, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) made headlines by revising Chiles’ score to 13.666, which led to her returning the bronze medal she hadn’t yet officially received. Despite this setback, Jordan Chiles isn’t letting anything hold her back.

She’s turning past challenges into a springboard for her future. Just recently, she posted an Instagram story of the World Champions Centre (WCC), an elite gymnastics academy in Spring, Texas, famously home to Simone Biles and her family. This center is owned by Simone Biles’s parents. Chiles has been training there since 2017, and now, after everything she’s been through, she’s making a comeback—likely diving back into gymnastics. But at the same time, she’s got other plans in the works too, showing she’s ready to take on whatever comes next.

Earlier, when Jordan Chiles thought she had earned the bronze medal, she made a significant decision: she announced her return to UCLA to compete for the Bruin Gymnastics team in the 2025 NCAA season. Chiles is already a standout in UCLA’s history, being the most decorated Olympian in the program with three total medals (including the Paris bronze, which she has yet to return).

To put it in perspective, Chiles made NCAA history as one of just three collegiate gymnasts to win three or more Olympic medals, joining her 2024 teammates Suni Lee of Auburn and Jade Carey of Oregon State. After joining the UCLA Bruins post-2020 Olympics, Chiles quickly made her mark, leading the team in points during the 2022 season with an impressive 432.775.

She dazzled with three perfect 10s—two on floor exercise and one on uneven bars—and earned All-American honors on the floor, standing out in the Pac-12. As UCLA gears up for the 2025 season, starting in January, Chiles will reunite with fellow Olympians Emma Malabuyo and Brooklyn Moors. With all this in mind, it looks like Chiles is set for a memorable return to the collegiate stage.

However, the question that comes to mind is: what are the chances Jordan Chiles will get her medal back? Are there any?

Jordan Chiles’ score is reinstated as CAS puts a new spin on floor exercise results

The CAS overturned the results of the women’s gymnastics floor exercise finals at the Paris Olympics on August 10. The decision restored Jordan Chiles’ score to 13.666 and reinstated Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu to third place. This outcome was the result of an appeal by the Federation of Romanian Gymnastics, which contested the scoring after Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, challenged the judges’ downgrade of Chiles’ routine.

Unfortunately, Landi’s inquiry was submitted one minute and four seconds after the deadline, which led to the decision being upheld with Chiles in fifth place. The appeals process also dismissed Sabrina Maneca-Voinea’s application due to a procedural error, leaving the original standings in place.

As Chiles faced the fallout from this decision, she endured not only the emotional toll of the ruling but also a barrage of hurtful comments on social media. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, along with USA Gymnastics, expressed their disappointment with the CAS ruling and condemned the attacks on Chiles. The Federation of Romanian Gymnastics, meanwhile, responded with mixed emotions, acknowledging the return of the bronze to Ana Barbosu. Despite everything, Chiles remains focused, ready to face whatever comes next as she prepares for her return to collegiate gymnastics.