Jordan Chiles responds to being stripped of bronze medal: ‘This decision feels unjust'

It was only four seconds and one-tenth of a point, but it was enough to strip an athlete of her bronze medal. A decision that left her speechless. “I have no words,” the athlete said on Thursday. “This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey.” The athlete’s post is the first time she shared her thoughts directly about the controversy surrounding her bronze medal in the women’s individual floor final at the Olympics. She previously posted twice in the days following the committee’s decision to reallocate the bronze, once with broken heart emojis and another that read, “I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you.” A week later, she wrote she is “now confronted with one of the most challenging moments of my career…I will approach this challenge as I have others - and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done.” The controversy stems from the women’s gymnastics floor final. The athlete, the last of the nine gymnasts to perform, received an initial score of 13.666, placing her fifth behind the gold and silver medalists and two other gymnasts. Following her routine, her coach submitted an inquiry, which the judges accepted and raised her score to 13.766, bumping her into the bronze position. An appeal was filed challenging the timeliness of the inquiry, and it was deemed late. In its full report, it was stated that the governing body did not track the timing of the inquiry or have any guidelines in place to assure proper protocol was followed. The court agreed that the inquiry was raised late and that the athlete’s initial score should be reinstated. However, it also said it would grant all three gymnasts bronze medals if it were up to the court, as the governing body did not provide a mechanism to implement the specific rule. The details from the court on Wednesday blamed the governing body for the problems that arose during the Games. The panel said it was limited in its review, leading to heartbreak for the athletes. The chance to provide new evidence was denied, but the athlete is holding out hope that her bronze stays just that.