Jordan Chiles Reflects on ‘Difficult Time’ After Having Medal Stripped: ‘I Know What the Truth Is’

Gymnast Jordan Chiles made history earlier this year as she stood tall on the first-ever all-Black podium at the Olympics. During the Paris games, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade was awarded the gold medal in the women’s floor exercise final, with Simone Biles earning silver and Chiles earning bronze after an appeal from Team USA. But the history-making moment was short-lived. Chiles was stripped of her medal after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) stated that the appeal arrived four seconds too late. Chiles is still fighting the decision after five “very difficult” months, she recently told TODAY.

“It’s hard to tell yourself that everything is going to be fine when you know we didn’t do anything wrong. Everything was very right. Everything was in the time that it needed to be,” Chiles said. “And for them to come back and say that it was four seconds late when we’ve had proof, we’ve had everything that really can show that everything was right. I think now it’s just the support that’s been around me that I’ve been like, okay, I can’t control anything that’s happening on the outside. I can only control what my truth is, and I know what the truth is, and I know that we were right in everything that we were doing.”

Chiles was moved into the bronze position following the team inquiry, which adjusted her score to 13.766 and bumped Romania’s Ana Barbosu out of that slot. It was Romania’s counter appeal that saw the positions reverted with Chiles back at 13.666 and Barbosu at 13.700.

“This situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation,” Barbosu said at the time. “We athletes are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful.” Chiles was the target of racist attacks online in the wake of the discrepancy and stated that she had not spoken directly to Barbosu.

“We have not had any conversations,” Chiles said. “I know that she has put stuff out on social media the same way that I was doing … whatever she’s going through, I’m very, very sorry. I’m going through the exact same thing. But I have not spoken to her directly.”

Since the CAS ruling, which was supported by International Olympic Committee, Chiles is still in possession of the bronze medal. She is also awaiting additional communication from CAS as handled through her legal team.

“I’ll be able to overcome this, and I’ll be able to look back and say, you know what? That was just a portion of my story,” Chiles said. “But it’s the truth. That’s why I’m here today, is to tell my truth and to tell everybody around me that everything that I did was correct. That 13.766 was given to me, that bronze medal was given to me in the right way. And that’s what I just want everybody to understand.”

Chiles was still awarded a gold medal as part of Team USA’s women’s artistic team all-around event win. But she is also maintaining the significance of her disputed individual win. “It was an all-Black podium. That was history made. That was something I’m very proud to be a part of,” she said. “It was just something I’ll always remember.”