Jordan Chiles is opening up about the Paris Olympics bronze medal controversy and the effect it had on her physically and mentally. In a feature with ESPN, the Olympic gold medalist said “it’s still a struggle to talk about it.”
“Six months ago, I was not able to move,” she added.
At the Paris Olympics over the summer, Chiles was stripped of her bronze medal when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decided to take back the medal to award Ana Bărbosu of Romania.
“I can still feel the joy and happiness I had when I won the bronze medal,” Chiles told ESPN’s Alyssa Roenigk. “I was happy that I was able to stand on that podium with Simone and Rebeca because that’s a lifelong dream of a little girl. But now, some days I don’t get to think that way.”
It was a technical error in why CAS decided to revoke their previous ruling which granted Coach Cecile’s inquiry on Chiles’ score.
“CAS ruled that [Coach] Cecile was four seconds over the one-minute allotted mark, according to the Omega clock, when she went to put in the inquiry. And therefore, they are overturning the inquiry. That drops Jordan back down to fifth place. Ana will take the medal, and Sabrina will take fourth place,” Chiles writes in her debut memoir That Girl as she referenced the Romanian gymnasts that were now placed ahead of her.
Chiles previously spoke about the heartbreak on the TODAY show in November.
“Honestly, it’s been really, really hard just to comprehend everything that’s been happening,” Chiles expressed. “Finally, now I feel comfortable, in a way, to talk about what has been happening. I feel like I recently have been trying to tell myself I’ve been OK, the past four, five months, and it’s honestly been a very, very difficult time.”
Will Jordan Chiles Compete At The 2028 Olympics?
While Chiles is still working with her legal team on the bronze medal controversy, fans are inquring about the possibility of her returning to the Olympics. Next year, the Olympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028. She told PEOPLE in February what is on her mind at the moment.
“It’s not a yes, but it’s not a no. I’m allowed to want a lot of things for myself,” she says. “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. At the end of the day, I always just tell people, ‘I’m just like you guys. I’m trying to strive for greatness — just like everybody else.’”
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