Team USA superfan Flavor Flav is supporting Jordan Chiles following her Olympic medal controversy.
“Ayyy YOOOO @ChilesJordan ,,, imma make you a BRONZE CLOCK NECKLACE,,, and that’s something NO ONE else has,!!! Hit me up my girl,,, I gotchu,!!!” the 65-year-old musician wrote via X on Sunday, August 11, sharing a clip of himself in the crowd at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Fans were quick to praise Flav for his message. “Who knew Flavor Flav was such a treasure?!!” one user wrote in the comments section, to which Flav replied, “ME,!!”
Throughout the Olympics, Flav was seen rocking a custom Team USA clock necklace while cheering for athletes in Paris. Before the Games began, Flav became a sponsor of the women’s water polo team, but his fandom didn’t stop there. He also turned up to watch the women’s gymnastics team in their competitions earlier this month.
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Flav is one of many celebrities who’ve thrown their support behind Chiles, 23, amid controversy surrounding her bronze medal win. Chiles represented the U.S. in the individual floor exercise final on August 5, initially landing in fifth place before her coaches submitted an inquiry to the judges about one of her skills. The inquiry was accepted, bumping her up to third place — and knocking Romania’s Ana Barbosu off the podium.
Ayyy YOOOO @ChilesJordan ,,, imma make you a BRONZE CLOCK NECKLACE,,, and that’s something NO ONE else has,!!! Hit me up my girl,,, I gotchu,!!! pic.twitter.com/qFVzkgkx25
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) August 11, 2024
Barbosu, 18, had already begun to celebrate before the judges’ ruling was made official. Chiles’ bronze medal win made her part of the first all-Black gymnastics podium in Olympics history alongside teammate Simone Biles, who took home silver, and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who won gold.
Team Romania filed its own inquiry one day after the competition, claiming that Chiles’ coaches were late submitting their request. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) agreed, reverting Chiles’ score and sending her back to fifth place. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Sunday that the bronze medal will be reallocated to Barbosu.
“We are in touch with the NOC of Romania to discuss the reallocation ceremony and with USOPC regarding the return of the bronze medal,” read a statement, in part.
Team USA, however, argued Chiles should be able to keep her medal. “USA Gymnastics on Sunday formally submitted a letter and video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, conclusively establishing that Head Coach Cecile Landi’s request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after the publishing of the score, within the 1-minute deadline required by FIG rule,” read a statement posted by USA Gymnastics via X on Sunday.
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Insisting that the initial inquiry into Chiles’ score occurred within the proper time frame at the competition, the statement continued, “The time-stamped, video evidence submitted by USA Gymnastics Sunday evening shows Landi first stated her request to file an inquiry at the inquiry table 47 seconds after the score is posted, followed by a second statement 55 seconds after the score was originally posted.”
According to the organization, the video footage “was not available” to them “prior to the tribunal’s decision and thus USAG did not have the opportunity to previously submit it.”
Chiles has received supportive messages from Biles, 27, and more teammates — as well as from famous fans like Flav — and she seemingly addressed the drama via her Instagram Story over the weekend.
“I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health,” she wrote after sharing a trio of broken heart emojis. “Thank you.”
