"This is awful and I'm gutted for Jordan Chiles"-Suni Lee reacts to fellow gymnast's score being reversed following Romanian gymnastics' appeal in CAS

American gymnastics legend Suni Lee expressed support for teammate Jordan Chiles following the Court of Arbitration for Sport's decision to revoke her floor exercise bronze medal. The ruling came after an appeal from the Romanian Gymnastics Federation.

At the Paris Olympics, the American gymnastics team of Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera collected eight medals in total, with every gymnast except Rivera securing at least one individual medal. Chiles also earned her first individual Olympic medal with an impressive floor exercise performance on August 5th, scoring 13.766 to place third behind Biles and Rebeca Andrade

However, Chiles' bronze medal win was a dramatic turnaround. Initially placed fifth with a score of 13.666, she was behind Romania's Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. But Team USA Gymnastics coach Cecile Landi appealed the decision after noticing a scoring error in Chiles' difficulty score. The revised score of 13.766 secured Chiles the bronze medal.

The Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to restore the medal to Barbosu. CAS upheld the appeal on Saturday, ruling that the judges had incorrectly accepted Team USA's inquiry, which boosted Chiles' score. Consequently, the 23-year-old gymnast may be required to return her only individual medal.

Over the last few days, Chiles faced a barrage of online abuse, including racial slurs. In response, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee issued a statement condemning the harassment on Instagram.

More recently, Chiles' teammate, Suni Lee, shared the statement on her Instagram story along with the following text:

"All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges?? completely unacceptable. this is awful and i'm gutted for Jordan. i got your back forever jo u have all my flowers and u will ALWAYS be an Olympic champion."

"She's being called disgusting things" - Jordan Chiles' mother speaks out amid recent events

Jordan Chiles with her mother at Gymnastics - 2024 Core Hydration Classic (Image via Getty)

Amid the controversy, Jordan Chiles faced heavy backlash on her social media handles, which prompted her mother, Gina Chiles, to come up with a tweet.

She wrote:

"The racist disgusting comments are still happening in 2024. I'm tired of people who say it no longer exists. My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched...and she's being called disgusting things."

Meanwhile, Jordan Chiles decided to take a break from social media in order to safeguard her mental health.

About the author

Abhishek is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda, armed with an Engineering background. As a reporter, he approaches each piece with a rigorous dedication to research, relying only on credible sources to ensure his readers receive reliable and valuable content.

To stay updated with the latest developments in the arena, he harnesses the power of social media and keeps a keen eye on Google trends and news as the approach not only keeps him informed but also enables him to uncover unique angles for his stories. Having covered prestigious events like the 2023 World Athletics Championships and the Swimming World Cup, Abhishek brings firsthand insights and expertise to his reporting.

Inspired by the legendary Usain Bolt, he is passionate towards track and field and admires not only the athlete's remarkable achievements but also his unwavering humility on and off the track.

Being an enthusiast, Abhishek looks forward to cricket becoming a part of the Olympics in 2028. During his time off work, he indulges in sketching and gaming.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma