Mom of Olympian Jordan Chiles Responds to “Racist Disgusting Comments” Following Drama Over Gymnastics Medal
Gina Chiles, Jordan Chiles‘ mother, defended her daughter after the gymnast faced criticism for winning the bronze medal in floor exercises after her coach challenged her first score.
On August 9, Gina wrote via X, “The racist, disgusting comments are still happening in 2024.” “Those who claim it no longer exists irritate me. My kid is an extremely talented Olympian with an unrivaled sense of sportsmanship and the largest heart. and some are calling her nasty names.
Jordan, 23, started the Monday, August 5, floor exercise final in sixth position. However, Team USA questioned one of her feats, stating that Jordan had executed a tour jeté full. After accepting the investigation, the judges moved Jordan up to the third position and awarded her a bronze medal. (After the inquiry was approved, Jordan’s routine score, which was originally 13.666, was increased to 13.766.)
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Prior to the evaluation of Jordan’s inquiry, Romanian gymnast Ana Bårbosu was ranked third. Before realizing she had not won the medal, she started to rejoice on the ground with the flag of her nation. Barbosu, 18, was seen leaving the event crying during the broadcast.
Gina is not the only person who has defended Jordan; Cécile Canqueteau-Landi, her coach, also refuted rumors that Jordan “stole” the medal.
Through Instagram, Canqueteau-Landi posted on Tuesday, August 6, “I shouldn’t have to explain but I will ONCE.” “Jordan’s maximum score on the floor is a 5.9. She scored a 5.8 at the qualifying and team finals, and we didn’t question it because we could see that some aspects weren’t done. We felt [it] was better during the floor finals, and because we had nothing to lose by placing fifth, I sent the query so I wouldn’t regret not doing so. To my astonishment, it was accepted even though I hadn’t anticipated it would.
Though she felt sympathy for Bårbosu, Canqueteau-Landi clarified that she “simply did my job and fought for my athlete.”
“Do I feel bad for the Romanian athlete?” she asked again. Naturally, I do! Though it is the sport, it was devastating and depressing to witness! Although you don’t have to agree with the result, you do need to respect Jordan and not put her down just because you don’t agree with her. I’m overjoyed and delighted that she WON that bronze medal—her first individual Olympic medal!
Jordan recounted the “true emotions” of the incident that had “everyone” in tears after taking her podium seat.
Jordan stated, “Honestly, there were so many emotions going through my body in that moment,” during a Thursday, August 8 appearance on Today. “A lot of things happened, including my absence from the podium and my appearance there. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to always know not to doubt oneself and to simply let things work out as they should.
Inquiry concerning gymnast Sabrina Maneca-Voinea’s performance was also sent by Team Romania; she finished fifth, but her score was unaltered. (Maneca-Voinea, 17, and Bårbosu finished with identical scores of 13.700; however, Bårbosu placed better at the end of the tournament due to her higher execution score.)
In a Tuesday Facebook post, Mihai Covaliu, the president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, demanded that Maneca-Voinea’s score be reexamined in a letter of protest addressed to the Gymnastics Federation. The gymnast’s “public declaration to give up practicing this sport” in response to the defeat was also disclosed in the post.
The same day, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu declared he would not be attending the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics out of protest, stating that the athletes in his nation had been “treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner.”
“It is totally unacceptable to withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal that neither the top technicians nor the coaches understand,” the writer said.
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