The Paris Olympics might be winding down, but the drama is still red-hot for Team USA gymnastics star Jordan Chiles. Chiles had her podium moment in her final event on the Floor Exercise when her coach, Cecile Landi, filed an inquiry that bumped her from 5th place to a historic 3rd—making it the first all-black gymnastics podium in history. But Romania wasn’t about to let that bronze medal slip away quietly.

Ana Barbosu, the Romanian gymnast who found herself knocked down from bronze to 4th, wasn’t going down without a fight. Fast forward to Saturday, and after some serious back-and-forth at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Chiles was stripped of her bronze medal, and Barbosu gets her moment in the spotlight after all.

But here’s the kicker—this decision doesn’t just mean a shiny medal for Barbosu. It is her country’s first women’s gymnastics medal since 2012. But on top of that, it ends a 24-year Olympic curse for Romanian gymnastics that started with a heartbreaking story back in 2000!

Let’s rewind: According to NBC, Andreea Raducan, a Romanian legend, won the all-around title at the Sydney Olympics, only to have it taken away because of a banned substance in cold medicine given to her by her team doctor. Her gold was handed over to teammate Simona Amanar, while Raducan kept her team gold and a silver in the vault. Still, the sting of losing that all-around crown never really faded.

In 2014, Raducan approached IOC President Thomas Bach, hoping to have her title reinstated. Despite their meeting, the IOC held firm, citing the strict anti-doping rules, and denied her appeal. Bach admitted that the decision was “very tough for Andreea and not easily taken by the IOC at the time.” He expressed sympathy, noting that she had to suffer from a mistake made by her team doctor, especially at such a young age when athletes place complete trust in their medical team.

Raducan, for her part, was understandably disappointed but expressed her respect for the decision, saying, “It was great speaking as one Olympic champion to another. I know that the president understands my disappointment. As a gymnast, you usually only get one Games to show the world what you can do.”

Now, two decades later, it feels like luck is finally on Romania’s side. With Barbosu reclaiming her bronze, it’s a long-overdue victory—one that finally brings some closure to Romanian gymnastics after years of Olympic heartache. However, before this, the Olympic authorities and FIG faced some serious backlash from all the levels of Romania.

Maneca-Voinea, the Romanian gymnast who was pushed to the fifth position after Jordan’s bronze, announced via Facebook that she would quit the sport in protest to the incident. After the shocking post, the Romanian Olympic Committee’s president, Mihai Covaliu, sent a letter of protest to the Gymnastics Federation protesting the decision. her mother Camelia, 1988 Olympic silver medalist in the team competition, also wrote, “Sabrina did not leave the mat for any acrobatic line, they are all here, she deserves a medal.” Notably, she was correct.

Maneca-Voinea was awarded .1 reduction for stepping out of bounds. But the replay footage clearly showed that it was wrong. Unfortunately, CAS declined to raise her score. In fact, Romanian legend Nadia Comaneci also broke her silence. “I looked at the video now, the corners, the video that NBC sent. They didn’t understand why that deduction was either. I asked the head umpire and she said she put the heel on. I haven’t seen any pictures of [her] putting the heel on [out of bounds],” Comaneci argued.

Meanwhile, Protest also came from the topmost level of Romania, as the prime minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu announced a drastic step. “I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner. To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal … is totally unacceptable!” the furious minister stated.

After such a chaotic situation, as Romania finally finds its triumph that simultaneously brings heartbreak for Team USA, how did all this drama begin?

Why did Jordan Chiles lose her Paris Olympics bronze medal to Romania?

It all started during the floor exercise final at the Paris Olympics. Jordan Chiles, known for her powerful tumbling, initially scored 13.666, placing her in fifth, just behind Romania’s rising star, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who had scored 13.700. Meanwhile, Ana Barbosu, another Romanian talent, also posted a 13.700 but held the edge for the bronze because of a higher execution score.

But then, U.S. coach Cecile Landi filed an inquiry to have Chiles’ difficulty score reviewed. After a quick check, the judges added 0.1 to Chiles’ score, bringing her total to 13.766, enough to vault her from fifth to third, bumping Barbosu off the podium and dropping Maneca-Voinea to fifth. The celebration was short-lived, though, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later ruled that Landi’s appeal came too late— to be precise, four seconds outside the 1-minute window allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).

With the inquiry voided, the initial scores were restored, and Barbosu reclaimed her bronze medal position. Maneca-Voinea returned to her initial fourth-place position, just missing out on a medal but avoiding dropping further down the rankings.

USA Gymnastics expressed devastation over the ruling sharing: “The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring.” So while Chiles may have lost her spot on the podium, Romania’s long-awaited redemption story finally gets its happy ending and their wait for a happy Olympic moment finally came full circle! What are your thoughts on this turn of events for Team USA’s Jordan Chiles? Share in the comments below!