Jordan Chiles reached the pinnacle of her individual gymnastics career on Aug. 5, 2024, standing on the podium with an Olympics bronze medal around her neck. She descended to the nadir just days later, as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped the American of the honor and awarded it to Romania's Ana Barbosu. A year after that initial triumph, which preceded stinging heartbreak and multiple appeals, Chiles reflected on the emotionally-draining experience.
She did not dwell on the anguish, however. The 24-year-old is grateful for what she has discovered about her own intestinal fortitude in the aftermath of the Paris Games controversy.
“A year ago today I walked off the floor in Paris with a bronze medal-and lessons I’ll carry with me for life,” Chiles said in an Instagram post. “The hardest moments really do teach you the most. This year had its highs, but the lows hit different. Every setback and every disappointment made me dig deeper and showed me what I’m truly made of. It also showed me who’s really in my corner.
“Even when something’s taken from you- your truth and your worth is…Untouchable. To everyone who held me down this past year, who sent prayers, messages, and love when I needed it most- you reminded me I’m never on this journey alone. I love y’all for real. You kept me standing when I didn’t even know how to take the next step. Still here. Still fighting. Still that girl.”
Revisiting the Jordan Chiles-bronze medal conflict
The 2024 Olympics gold medalist — won the team competition with Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera — has endured a one-of-a-kind Olympics journey. And it is not officially over quite yet. Barbosu had originally finished in third place in the women's floor exercise final in Paris, edging out countrywoman Sabrina Maneca-Voinea by the slimmest of margins. However, Chiles' coach sent an inquiry to the judges, arguing that she deserved a higher score due to the degree of difficulty of a specific skill in her routine.
The panel admitted its oversight and increased her score from 13.666 to 13.766, thereby awarding the Vancouver, Washington native the bronze. Chiles erupted in excitement, celebrating what was briefly her first-ever solo Olympics medal. Unfortunately, however, the matter was not closed. The Romanian squad formally contested that the inquiry was made a few seconds outside of the allotted time window. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in the European country's favor, launching Barbosu back into medal position.
Both women, as well as Maneca-Voinea, were put through the wringer. The judges catastrophically let these athletes down with their poor performance. Their mistakes produced lasting distress for all involved.
A path forward?
Jordan Chiles is still pushing through the whole mess. She appealed to the CAS last year but was denied. She then turned to the Swiss Federal Tribunal in September. The court's decision is still pending, dragging out the ordeal even more.
But Chiles is choosing to focus on all the positive moments she has experienced since the Paris Olympics, which include winning a silver medal with UCLA at the 2025 NCAA women's gymnastics tournament, earning gold at the uneven bars in the same competition, posing for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and walking the Red Carpet at the ESPYs.
Chiles has risen above the despair and lived life to the fullest. This woman does not presently possess the bronze medal (and maybe never will), but it is obvious she has a new perspective.
