Suni Lee, Mikaela Shiffrin, and others extend support to Jordan Chiles as she opens up about being stripped of bronze medal at Paris Olympics

By Agnijeeta Majumder

Modified Aug 16, 2024 04:25 GMT

Jordan Chiles of the USA broke her silence after being stripped of the floor finals bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. It was the first individual Olympic medal of her career. Sporting personalities like Mikaela Shiffrin, Suni Lee, Emma Malabuyo, and Trinity Thomas have come forward to show support to the gymnast.

Chiles was given the third position in the Olympic floor finals after her team inquired to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) about one of her leaps. Romania's Ana Barbosu, who initially finished third, was demoted to fourth.

The Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for a re-analyzation since Chiles' inquiry was submitted after the one-minute deadline. The CAS ruled in their favor as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ordered the American to return her bronze.

In a recent Instagram post, Jordan Chiles finally broke her silence, saying racist attacks on the internet hurt her but her coaches, fans, family friends, USAG, and USOPC have supported her during the difficult times.

Chiles added that she would fight for justice and deal with the challenge since she always abided by the values of sportsmanship and performed with integrity.

"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. While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away. 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," she wrote in the caption.

"To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful.... I will never waver from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence... I will approach this challenge as I have others - and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done," Chiles added.

Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin and Chiles' fellow gymnast Suni Lee showered the two-time Olympian with love and support.

Shiffrin responded with a heart emoji below Chiles' Instagram post.

Mikaela Shiffrin's comment on Jordan Chiles' post; Instagram - @jordanchiles

Suni Lee, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic all-around champion, also expressed her love for Chiles, writing:

"love you".

Suni Lee's comment on Jordan Chiles; Instagram - @jordanchiles

Emma Malabuyo, the US-born gymnast representing the Philippines, also sent love to Chiles.

"sending you so much love," Malabuyo wrote.

Emma Malabuyo's comment on Jordan Chiles' post; Instagram - @jordanchiles

Ana Barbosu has also backed Jordan Chiles during the hard times

Olympic Games Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

After CAS announced its decision, Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu expressed her wish to end up on the podium along with Jordan Chiles and Sabrina Voinea at the next Olympics.

She took to her Instagram story to write:

"I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share same podium. This is my true dream! This situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation."

Ana Barbosu's story in support of Jordan Chiles

She also expressed that athletes don't deserve the mental stress because of the misjudgment of the governing body.