Gymnastics star Jordan Chiles recently reflected on being stripped of the bronze medal on floor exercise at the Paris Olympics last year, claiming that she was removed from the podium because of the color of her skin.
Chiles initially finished in third place, with Simone Biles winning the silver medal and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade taking gold. Due to a technicality in timing, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the decision to award Chiles bronze and instead gave it to Romania’s Ana Barbosu.
What Were Jordan Chiles’ Newest Comments On Being Stripped Of The Bronze Medal In Paris?
Chiles discussed the topic in an interview with actress and singer Keke Palmer, stating that she felt that those in charge did not want to see an ‘all black podium’: (9:05 onwards) “Like, let alone an athlete, I’m up there. Yes, it’s an all black podium, which is very rare. It’s obviously something that people just don’t like because we are dominating in areas that, you know, systemically, we’ve been removed from.”
“And as being a woman of color, I was just, you know, 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. They didn’t want to see the fact that we were just dominating. And I really took that to heart,” Palmer added.
After this decision, Chiles revealed that she still has the bronze medal and intends to keep it. In September 2024, her legal team announced that she had filed an appeal to overturn CAS’s decision, with her attorneys remaining committed to pursuing it.
Chiles Is Still Aiming For An Individual Medal At The Olympics
After the CAS decision, Chiles dropped to fifth place, overtaken by Sabrina Voinea and Ana Barbosu. Still, she remains focused on her dream of capturing an individual Olympic medal, possibly in 2028, as she shared in an interview with People Magazine: “Of course an individual medal is something I continue to strive for. But I know myself, and I know the work and effort I put in [in Paris], and that was a history-making podium. I’m just very proud that I was a part of that.”
Following her Olympic heartbreak in Paris, Chiles returned to competition with the UCLA Bruins, capturing her second NCAA uneven bars title and helping her team secure the runner-up spot. Despite the setbacks, her determination shines through as she sets out to prove, just as her memoir declares, that she truly is ‘that girl’.