Jordan Chiles threw out the first pitch before the New York Mets hosted the Cincinnati Reds in MLB action on Friday night, one of his highest-profile public appearances since losing his Olympic bronze medal.
Chiles, 23, walked out to Citi Field in Queens on Friday night to warm applause and cheers before pitching in a must-win game for the Mets, who are competing for the playoffs with the Atlanta Braves.
Earlier in the day, the gymnast was seen preparing for her big moment by throwing pitches to Mets star hitter Pete Alonso.
This comes after Chile controversially lost the Olympic bronze it believed it had won in the floor final in Paris to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu.
Chiles was initially ranked fifth in the final but was awarded bronze on the floor exercise in Paris on Aug. 5 thanks to an appeal by Team USA coach Cecile Landi, who questioned her athlete’s level of difficulty.
Jordan Chiles threw out the first pitch before the New York Mets hosted the Cincinnati Reds
It is one of Chile’s most notable performances since its Olympic medal was stripped from it.
Chiles received loud cheers and applause as he left Citi Field on Friday night.
That challenge gave her a 0.1 boost, bringing Chiles’ score up to 13.766, just ahead of Barbosu’s 13.700. Barbosu was already celebrating winning a medal when Chiles’ score boost was announced, bringing her to tears.
Chiles celebrated on the podium that night, but the medal was reassigned to Barbosu after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, following an appeal by Romania, overturned Landi’s appeal that same day.
Former Team USA gymnast Laurie Hernandez said in August that she had spoken to Chiles and was heartbroken by what happened.
“I’ve gotten a little closer,” Hernandez told E!. “I think he’s in a lot of pain. There are no words to describe it.”
“Jordan had to give back that medal and Romania won bronze once again,” Hernandez continued.
“It’s heartbreaking. And all of this is happening in full view of the public.
“My heart goes out to Jordan because it’s not his fault in any way. It’s not his coach’s fault in any way. It’s not the judge’s fault.”
Chiles controversially lost her Olympic bronze in the floor final at the Paris Games
Chiles hasn’t spoken much since losing her medal, other than taking a brief break from social media.
USA Gymnastics vowed to challenge the ruling, saying the Court of Arbitration for Sport made critical errors in how it handled the investigation.