They’ve got her back.
Simone Biles, Suni Lee and more showed support for their US gymnastics teammate Jordan Chiles after she lost her bronze medal in a score reversal.
“All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges?? Completely unacceptable. This is awful and I’m gutted for Jordan,” Lee, 21, wrote on her Instagram Story Saturday.
“I got your back forever Jo. [You] have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an Olympic champion.💐”
Biles, 27, shared a photo of herself hugging Chiles, 23, on her Instagram Story Saturday, writing: “sending you so much love Jordan 🤍 keep your chin up olympic champ! we love you!”
LeBron James, who just won his third gold medal in men’s basketball Saturday, also showed his support for Chiles on X.
In response to Team USA tweeting that Chiles was “forever that girl,” the Los Angeles Laker star, 39, commented, “♾️!!!!!! ❤️🇺🇸.”
Gymnast Jade Carey said her teammate shouldn’t be punished “for someone else’s mistake,” adding that Chiles was “forever an Olympic champion” who has “so much to be proud of.”
During last Monday’s gymnastics floor exercise final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Romanian Ana Bărbosu initially thought she won the bronze medal after posting a score of 13.700.
Chiles’ score was originally 13.666 but her coaches challenged the difficulty score which added 0.1 to her overall score and moved her up to third place behind gold medalist Rebeca Andrade and silver medalist Biles.
Chiles was then awarded the bronze medal and posed with Biles and Andrade, 25, making history as the first all-Black Olympics gymnastics podium.
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However, on Sunday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced it was reallocating the bronze from Chiles to Bărbosu, 18, after the Romanians won an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), claiming the initial score inquiry was filed after the one-minute deadline.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) said Saturday night it would respect the court’s decision and elevate the Romanian athlete to third place.
After the ruling, Chiles posted on Instagram that she was “taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you.”
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said Sunday it is planning to appeal the decision.
“We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed,” the statement read.
“The initial error occurred in the scoring by FIG, and the second error was during the CAS appeal process, where the USOPC was not given adequate time or notice to effectively challenge the decision. As a result, we were not properly represented or afforded the opportunity to present our case comprehensively.
“Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves. We remain dedicated to supporting her as an Olympic champion and will continue to work diligently to resolve this matter swiftly and fairly.”
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