The verdict is in on the fate of Jordan Chiles‘ bronze medal … and it ain’t good.
The International Olympic Committee ruled the U.S. gymnast would have to give back the third-place medal she won in the floor competition during the Paris Olympic Games – and it will now be bestowed on her Romanian counterpart, Ana Barbosu.
As you may know, the whole controversy began last Monday … Chiles scored a 13.666 in the women’s floor exercise, landing her fifth in the competition.
But her coaches appealed the judges’ decision and were granted a review based on the difficulty of Chiles’ performance.
After analyzing her routine, the judges elevated Chiles’ score by one-tenth of a point, catapulting her into third place and awarding her the bronze medal.
Then, on Saturday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which settles disputes over the rules, found that Chiles’ coaches challenged the judges’ decision 64 seconds after all the scores were posted. The deadline for such action is exactly one minute.
So, the court moved Chiles’ score back to 13.666, but since it doesn’t have the power to take away medals, the matter was eventually handed to the Olympic Committee.
Of course, the committee stripped Chiles of the bronze medal, transferring it to Barbosu, who had originally come in fourth place with a score of 13.700.
By the way … Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade snagged the gold medal in the floor competition while Chiles’ teammate Simone Biles grabbed the silver.