“Gross”: Fans Defend Simone Biles After Romanian Gymnast’s Subtle Dig at Mental Health in Gymnastics

The Olympics floor exercise controversy is far from over, it seems! After Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Bărbosu missed out on bronze medal, thanks to a late change of results, a deduction against her teammate Sabrina Maneca-Voinea have fanned the flames once again.

Fans alleged Voinea was wronged. Originally tied for third place, Voinea garnered a .100 deduction due to her “stepping out of bounds”. However, a viral X clip with zoomed-in footage of her routine circulated, showing that her foot was within the mat, thereby trashing the heavy deductions levied. But amidst all these developments, one of Sabrina’s Instagram stories has now triggered a row, with some social media users even perceiving it as a jibe at Simone Biles.

Taking to her Instagram, the Romanian Gymnast Sabrina reposted a series of stories. One of them featured a glimpse of her routine video uploaded by Nadia Comaneci, giving a close-up of how her heel did not go outside the mat. Moreover, there was a long message penned in it, claiming that the Paris Olympics wasn’t ideal in many parameters. Out of the many lines, a particular one, according to a Redditor (which cannot be independently verified), read, “Why all the mental illnesses persons are allowed in any elite competitions?” 

Even Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced he will boycott the Olympic closing ceremony due to the “scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner”. He continued criticizing the results, saying, “To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!”  

It was also reported that the Romanian Olympic Committee’s president, Mihai Covaliu, hoped to see an increase in Sabrina’s grades. Apparently, Covaliu said that there are arguments, video tests, and photos available to substantiate their stance. And that he is hopeful of a possibility where Sabrina could even get the silver medal. This further led fans on the Reddit thread to question how that was even possible, as Biles’ 14.133 made her a clear winner.

Fans rally behind Simone Biles after potential jibe

The Reddit thread on r/Gymnastics, discussed if that line about mental illness was a dig at Biles. And, evidently, fans appeared agitated. One of them wrote, “Yeah this is gross. The increased focus on mental illness and talking about it is a GOOD thing for the sport.” Many veterans have advocated the importance of an athlete’s mental health across distinct divisions. One of them is Simone Biles, who herself had withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics, given her struggles with the ‘twisties‘. Thus, a second one reacted by saying “Oh that’s not… [crying emojis] this is an insane thing to say.” 

However, one of them seemed appalled by this possibility. They wrote, “Reposting this should automatically disqualify her from receiving a bronze medal or any medal for that matter. This is so gross.” It is needless to say that fans seem shocked. Especially, as Biles is one of the first to have said that her weekly therapy sessions are very crucial. She has also opened up about how it “sucks when you’re fighting with you own head.” And how she constantly focuses on her mental health and well-being.

Whereas, one of the fans had an elaborate reaction to this. They wrote, “I wouldn’t have reshared this hateful post at all.. I know she’s young but geez… We gotta learn to take L’s and come back stronger. I understand why one may feel robbed but geez to take jabs at people is not gonna get you a medal… it’s gonna get you banned girl.” Earlier, seen in an X post by Kickboxing Romania, Voinea had said that Simone Biles is a good athlete, but it was Chiles, who was in third place made low landings, and even left the carpet.

Notably, the Romanian women’s gymnastics team was on the Olympic podium for the first time since 2012. The dispute ensued when 18-year-old Bărbosu, who finished third in the women’s floor exercise final, stood jubilantly, waving the Romanian flag in her hand—until her eyes fell on the revised scoreboard. Team USA’s Jordan Chiles had just been promoted to third from fifth, relegating Bărbosu out.

Chiles was initially awarded 13.666—her difficulty score reduced from  5.9 to 5.8—owing to an under-rotation. However, USA Gymnastics submitted an inquiry to dispute the score, which was later accepted. Ever since, the Romanian side has been fiery about the loss.

As per Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the FIG has been getting multiple requests to review Voinea’s routine. Including one from Nadia Comaneci. Plus, Mihai Covaliu criticized the International Gymnastics Federation for lacking a detailed explanation for their decision.

But, as per one fan, this mental health diss seems to have jeopardized the gymnast’s medal chances. They write, “Wow this is too far and absolutely disgusting. If it were up to me I would ban athletes who spew such hatred to their competitors. If she had a valid argument to have her score revised she just lost it here. Nobody will want to go near this now.” 

What do you think of the whole drama? Let us know in the comments below.