Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles was just handed a devastating blow in her bid to keep her bronze medal … the governing body overseeing the controversy says their hands are tied, new evidence be damned!
It’s the latest turn in the saga involving USA and Romanian Gymnastics … who are in the midst of a feud over the rightful owner of the bronze medal in the floor competition, which took place a week ago on August 5.
Unfortunately for Chiles, the Court of Arbitration for Sports says their hands are tied.
“We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement.
Of course, Chiles initially scored 13.666 in the event … setting her up for a fifth-place finish. However, after one of the judges assessed the difficulty level of her routine incorrectly, the Red, White, and Blue challenged the scoring.
After the review, Chiles score was then bumped up to a 13.766 … moving her to third place, and past Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu.
But, that wasn’t it. It was later determined Chiles’ coaches asked for a review too late — four seconds to be exact — which led to her medal being stripped and handed over to Barbosu.
“[CAS] stressed that during the proceedings ‘it has been concluded conclusively established through the official records provided by the International Gymnastics Federation, unchallenged by any side during the proceedings’ that this appeal filed by the Mrs. Landi was passed late after the 1-minute limit,” the Romanian Gymnastics Federation said.
It’s unclear where Chiles and the U.S. will go from here … but it doesn’t sound like they’re done fighting!