Jordan Chiles is looking back on her life-changing bronze medal controversy one year after the Paris Olympics.
“A year ago today I walked off the floor in Paris with a bronze medal — and lessons I’ll carry with me for life,” Chiles, 24, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, August 5. “The hardest moments really do teach you the most. This year had its highs, but the lows hit different.”
The Olympic gymnast continued, “Every setback and every disappointment made me dig deeper and showed me what I’m truly made of. It also showed me who’s really in my corner. Even when something’s taken from you- your truth and your worth is … Untouchable.”
Chiles then thanked those who “held me down this past year, who sent prayers, messages, and love when I needed it most.”
Jordan Chiles Details 'Difficult' Bronze Medal Loss in Emotional Interview
“You reminded me I’m never on this journey alone. I love y’all for real. You kept me standing when I didn’t even know how to take the next step,” she added.
Chiles concluded, “Still here. Still fighting. Still that girl.”
The post came one year after Chiles was stripped of a bronze medal in the women’s individual floor exercise routine in August 2024.
Though Romania’s Ana Bărbosu was initially poised to come in third place, Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, raised an inquiry about the U.S. athlete’s score. The judges bumped Chiles’ score up one-tenth of a point, moving her into third place and bumping Bărbosu, 19, into fourth.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation then filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), arguing that Landi, 45, submitted her appeal four seconds after the one-minute appeal window, therefore rendering it invalid.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) ultimately sided with Bărbosu and awarded the bronze medal to the Romanian gymnast. However, Chiles and her legal team have not given up the fight to get it back.
Her reps filed two appeals in the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, most recently in September 2024. USA Gymnastics also filed a separate appeal. They asked the court to require CAS to re-open the case and look at audio and video evidence obtained by Netflix camera crews, who were in Paris filming Simone Biles’ docuseries, Rising. The evidence allegedly disproves the claim that Landi submitted her appeal too late.
During a March appearance on Good Morning America, Chiles opened up about how she was doing mentally after the controversy and gave an update on the situation.
“I can tell you I’m doing way better than I was when it first happened,” she said.
Jordan Chiles Taking Bronze Medal Fight to Swiss Supreme Court
Chiles continued, “I definitely can only do so much for myself, really focus on my mental and knowing that I’ve been at UCLA and competing with the team has really helped with that. I’m going to continue to fight and understand that I can only control what I can do with myself. And let everything else just be on the backend of whether my lawyer, my attorney are doing whatever they can to continue to fight for that.”
Whether she gets the medal back or not, Chiles said she’s ready to “continue on” with her life.
“I can’t control what happens at the end of the day. I just know what’s right with me and that I’m always just going to continue to look forward,” she concluded.