Olympic Gymnast's Shocking Racism Allegation
American Olympic gymnastics star Jordan Chiles has made startling racism claims as she reflects on the controversial decision to strip her of a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Games. The athlete insisted that some people "didn't want to see three beautiful Black women standing on that podium" after her medal in the floor exercise was rescinded following a dispute involving Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu.
The Controversial Medal Decision
The dramatic sequence of events began when Chiles initially placed fifth in the floor exercise final. The United States team, led by her coach Cecile Landi, successfully appealed her score, arguing that her split leap had been improperly graded. Judges agreed, boosting Chiles' marks by one-tenth and moving her up to third place behind Brazil's Rebeca Andrade and teammate Simone Biles.
This created what Chiles described as a rare "all-Black podium" moment in gymnastics history. However, the celebration was short-lived. The Romanian athletic commission filed their own appeal to the International Olympic Committee, contesting the scores that had dropped Barbosu from the medal positions.
Days after the event, the IOC delivered a crushing blow to Chiles, ruling that the original American challenge had been filed four seconds too late and was therefore invalid. The bronze medal was subsequently reallocated to Barbosu, and Chiles was ordered to return her hard-won prize.
Social Media Backlash and Racial Abuse
In a recent appearance on the 'Baby, this is Keke Palmer' podcast, Chiles revealed the torrent of abuse she faced following the controversy. "I had to get off of social media for a while," she confessed. "Because it was really hard to even see that, as an athlete... I started seeing it more. They didn't want to see that, they didn't want to see three beautiful Black women standing on that podium."
The gymnast described receiving racist comments and even being told to kill herself, which she said "got to a really, really tough point." Chiles emphasised that she initially hadn't viewed the situation through a racial lens until the flood of hateful responses made her reconsider.
She told the podcast: "At first, I didn't think of it in that way until I started almost literally getting racist comments and saying this and saying that... It's obviously something that people don't like."
Behind the Scenes Drama
In her book 'I'm That Girl', published earlier this year, Chiles provided additional context about the emotional aftermath. She expressed being "crushed and angry" about the decision and pointed fingers at Barbosu's coach for what she considered premature celebrations.
Chiles wrote: "None of this would have happened if Ana's coach, who knew that Cecile had submitted an inquiry right after my floor routine, had waited for the inquiry results to come in before allowing Ana to take the podium, holding her flag."
She described this behaviour as "highly unusual and premature" and noted that "everyone knows you don't celebrate until after everything is final." The American gymnast also questioned the validity of challenging results days after the medal ceremony, calling it "surprising and outrageous."
In a surprising twist, Barbosu's coach during the controversy was Patrick Kiens, who has since been hired by the World Champions Centre in Texas - the same training facility where Chiles and Simone Biles practice.
The controversy reached diplomatic levels when the Romanian prime minister threatened to boycott the closing ceremony, adding international pressure to the already tense situation. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ultimately upheld Romania's appeal, and Barbosu was formally awarded the bronze medal in a ceremony in Bucharest.
Over a year after the incident, Chiles' revelations about the racial dimension of the backlash have sparked new conversations about diversity in gymnastics and the treatment of Black athletes in international competition.
