Simone Biles wants “justice” for her fellow Team USA gymnast, Jordan Chiles.
Earlier this month, Chiles was stripped of the bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise final at the 2024 Paris Olympics following an inquiry by the Romanian Olympic committee. The medal was reallocated to Romania’s Ana Barbosu, who moved to third place, while Chiles ultimately placed fifth.
In an interview with People published on Monday, August 26, Biles — who won silver in the women’s floor final — said that she has got her teammate’s back.
“Do we think they did the correct procedures to come to this ruling? No. That’s really why we want that justice for Jordan and why we’re going to keep supporting her and uplifting her,” said Biles.
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The 11-time Olympic medalist also shared how she’s been trying to keep Chiles’ spirits up amid the controversy over the floor final.
“We’ve been FaceTiming, texting, just being girls. I did talk to her on one of the days and I was like, ‘You know what, Jordan, you have to feel all these feels,’” Biles, 27, said. “‘Don’t let these emotions stop you. This will be the healthiest way to get all of this out.’”
“We saw what you did,” Biles added of her Team USA teammate. “And it’s an unfortunate circumstance because something like this has never happened before and it’s truly a shame, but we wish all three girls could get the medal, and unfortunately in gymnastics that’s not the case.”
Chiles, 23, placed fifth during the August 5 competition but moved up to third after an inquiry by Team USA into the difficulty of one of her skills was granted. The following day, Team Romania lodged its own inquiry arguing that the U.S. request for review was submitted to the judges four seconds too late. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled in Romania’s favor.
Chiles addressed the medal reallocation for the first time in a statement shared via Instagram on Thursday, August 15. “I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days. I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time,” Chiles wrote.
“While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away. I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful,” added Chiles.
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The athlete said she had “no words” for the “unjust” decision that came as a “significant blow” overall.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) intends to appeal the IOC’s 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 [Court of Arbitration for Sport] appeal process that need to be addressed,” the organization said in an August 11 statement to the Associated Press. “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.”
