BUCHAREST: Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu received Olympic bronze at a ceremony in Bucharest on Friday after the International Gymnastics Federation awarded it to her instead of US gymnast Jordan Chiles following a bitter row.

A score revision over degree of difficulty lifted Chiles to third in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics on August 5, causing heartbreak for Barbosu who thought she had won bronze.

Romania appealed the decision, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled the US appeal for the score revision came too late.

Chiles, 23, said on Thursday that being stripped of a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics has been devastating and heartbreaking and delivered her an unjust blow.

On Friday, Barbosu, 18, said she felt “very happy and grateful”, though saddened that “there have been such problems at a high level”.

“We as athletes have done absolutely nothing wrong,” she said, adding she hoped for Chiles and fellow Romanian gymnast Sabrina Voinea, who also contested her own score in the floor final, to get “happy conclusions”.

After the medal — a different one than was given to Chiles — was placed around her neck in a short ceremony held by the Rom­anian Olympic and Sports Comm­ittee, Barbosu told reporters: “I didn’t realise it was that heavy.”

She added she hopes to bring more medals to the eastern Euro­pean country, which used to have a powerful gymnastics progra­mme but had not taken part in the Olympics for the past 12 years.

“I tell the girls who want to do gymnastics to have faith that if they want something, it will come true if they stick with it and put in the hard work,” Barbosu said.

In spite of the hot afternoon, she patiently posed with the medal for photographers, kissed it and then took photos with some children.

USA Gymnastics has vowed to continue to fight for Chiles’ medal.

USA Gymnastics presented additional video evidence to CAS on Sunday which it felt proved there had been no procedural error but the Lausanne-based legal body said in its published ruling on Thursday that the breach had been “crystal clear”.

CAS also said that it had no power to order that a second bro­n­ze medal be given to Chiles “as some of the parties have proposed”.

Chiles not giving up

One of the defining images of the Paris Games shows Chiles and silver winner US superstar Simone Biles and Chiles bowing to gold winner Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade on the podium.

In her remarks Thursday, Chiles also said a swirl of social media attacks have been extremely hurtful as she tries to recover from the controversy over the floor exercise final.

“I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow not just to me but to everyone who has championed my journey,” Chiles wrote in an Instagram post.

“To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven atta­cks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I’ve pou­red my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.”

Chiles, who also won team gold with Biles in Paris, said she would fight on and held out some hope that the authorities would ultimately relent. “I am now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career,” she added.

“I will approach this challenge as I have others — and I will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”

Barbosu and Romania’s Voinea have also been attacked online.

Romania’s gymnastics federation has asked for the attacks to stop, as did Barbosu’s mother, Pompilia Barbosu, on Friday “begging as a mother to stop all the defamations”.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2024