Jordan Chiles broke her silence to a live audience after she was stripped of her bronze medal from the Paris Olympics floor routine competition in July.
"The biggest thing that was taken from me was the recognition of who I was, not just my sport, but the person I am,' Chiles said at the Forbes Power Women's Summit Wednesday, according to the 'Daily Mail.'
Team USA coach Cecile Landi appealed Chiles' score after she finished 5th in the eight-woman final. She asked the judges to award credit for a maneuver that would boost Chiles score by .1. The appeal was granted, the gymnast was moved to third, and was awarded the bronze medal. The 23-year-old even participated in the medal ceremony following the competition.
"The biggest thing that was taken from me was the recognition of who I was, not just my sport, but the person I am."
— Forbes (@Forbes) September 11, 2024
Olympic Gymnast @ChilesJordan spoke with @MoiraForbes about being stripped of her bronze medal at the 2024 #PowerWomensSummit. https://t.co/trq44G0BKt pic.twitter.com/QKbkpM8Ek8
Romania protested to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that Landi's appeal was not made within one minute of Chiles' score being posted. Their appeal was granted, and the panel ruled the bronze should go to Ana Bărbosu.
The International Gymnastics Federation reinstated the initial order of finish, and Barbosu, 18, received the medal during a ceremony in Bucharest last month.
"To me, everything that has gone on is not about the medal,' Chiles said. 'It's about my skin color, it's about the fact that there were things that have led up to this position of being an athlete, and I felt like everything has been stripped. I felt like back in 2018, where I did lose the love of the sport, I lost it again. I just felt like there wasn't a lot of people supporting me."
Chiles, who was allowed to keep the bronze medal itself, will return to competition in January when she starts her junior year at University of California, Los Angeles, per the outlet.
"I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career," Chiles posted. "Believe me when I say I have had many. I will approach the challenge as I have others - and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing."
Originally published in Enstarz.
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