Jordan Chiles is apparently still “recovering” after being stripped of her Olympic floor exercise bronze medal.
The American gymnast placed third ahead of Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca after an appeal by USA Gymnastics increased her score from the fifth place she originally finished in.
However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled days later that the Americans’ appeal was too late, declaring it invalid and returning the bronze to Barbosu.
There are “no plans” at this time for Chiles to return his medal, U.S. officials said. USA todayalthough it is evident that the 23-year-old is still recovering from the terrifying experience.
On Friday night, he posted a Instagram Story with a screenshot of an X post that read: “she’s a 10 but she’s still recovering from things she didn’t deserve.”
American gymnast Jordan Chiles has been ordered to return her bronze medal following a CAS ruling
She reposted a message on her Instagram Story about “healing” amid the ordeal.
Chiles had previously called the decision to strip her “unfair,” while the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee also told USA Today there were “significant procedural errors” made by CAS.
According to the CAS, the Americans’ appeal lasted one minute and four seconds, longer than the one-minute deadline.
However, USA Gymnastics says it has evidence to support its claim that the appeal was filed within the 47-second time limit.
Former Olympian Aly Raisman also called the CAS verdict “confusing” and said an appeal would not even have been accepted if it had come late.
“There is a designated trained official. His job is to control the time,” he said. We weekly“They are not allowed to accept the investigation if it is not done within a minute. They accepted the investigation, which means that the person who is qualified to do it saw it done in less than a minute.”
Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu regained her third-place finish after a CAS ruling determined the U.S. appeal of her floor exercise was late.
Aly Raisman, who competed for Team USA in 2012 and 2016, told Chiles to keep her medal.
Raisman continued: “From there, the judges admitted that they made a mistake with the score and increased it. I think it’s really unfair. It’s unacceptable to me.”
Raisman, a three-time gold medalist, also said Chiles should not give up her medal.
“It’s very disappointing for me because I feel it goes against the integrity of sport and the Olympic Games,” he said.
“Jordan deserves answers about what evidence the Court of Arbitration for Sport has. I find it very confusing. It makes no sense. I don’t think Jordan should give back its medal.”
USA Gymnastics has also said it was “devastated” by the CAS decision and has vowed to fight the ruling by appealing to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court. But it is rare for CAS decisions to be overturned.
The CAS also criticised “scandalous statements published in certain US media” concerning an alleged conflict of interest with regard to its panel.
After Chiles was stripped of her medal, it emerged that Hamid G. Gharavi, who chaired the panel, had worked with the Romanian government for about 10 years.
Chiles originally placed fifth on the floor exercise, but was moved up to third after an appeal.
According to The New York Times, panel members must complete a conflict of interest form before reviewing any case.
The publication claimed that Gharavi had revealed his work with the Romanian government. The Times also claims that Gharavi declined to comment when asked.
Chiles, in comments prior to her ‘healing’ post, thanked fans for their support.
“I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love I have received over the past few days. I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time,” Chiles wrote on Instagram.
He continued: “I have no words. This decision seems unfair to me and is a hard blow, not only for me, but for all those who have supported my path.”