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ELEVEN days after the floor exercise final in Paris, Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu has received her bronze medal.
The delighted 18-year-old was snapped beaming as she held up her medal at a ceremony in Bucharest.
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Her first-ever Olympic medal, Barbosu posed by the Paris 2024 logo while clutching the games’ mascot, taking the opportunity at one point to give her silverware a kiss for the cameras.
This extensive delay came after a recent review controversially overturned USA’s Jordan Chiles’ third-placed finish.
Following a dramatic final, Chiles’ initial score was bumped after a successful petition from the US.
This meant she leaped over Barbosu and her compatriot Sabrina Maneca-Voinea to go from fifth to third.
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However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport recently reviewed the US petition and declared that it had been submitted just FOUR SECONDS outside of the allotted 60-second window.
As such, she was once again dropped to fifth, and ordered to return her medal.
Fellow American Simone Biles’ second-placed score remained unchanged, as did that of Brazilian gold medalist Rebeca Andrade.
Chiles was left understandably “devastated” by the ruling, opting to take a break from social media in the aftermath.
Since then, the USA Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has said that they will file a formal appeal regarding the decision.
In a statement released on Thursday, via CNN, the USOPC launched a scathing attack on the CAS and what they described as their “significant procedural errors.”
“From August 6-9, CAS sent crucial communications to erroneous email addresses at USOPC and USAG, an error not corrected until Aug. 9 – three days after filing, two days past the deadline to submit objections and less than 24 hours before the hearing,” they stated.
“This deprived us of adequate time to respond meaningfully or gather necessary evidence. We informed CAS of our objections immediately.”
The statement went on to claim that fresh evidence has since “validated” their stance.
“In short, we were denied a meaningful opportunity to be heard,” they concluded.
As for Chiles, she too released a statement on Thursday, following “one of the most challenging moments of my career.”
She thanked those who had rushed to support her since the decision was made, calling the ruling “unjust” and saying it had been “a significant blow” to all those who had helped her on her journey.
“To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful,” Chiles tweeted.
“I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.
“I will never waver from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship and the rules that dictate fairness.
“I have taken pride in cheering on everyone regardless of team or country.
“Finding joy again has been a culture shift and I love seeing others embrace it.
“I feel like I have given everyone permission to be authentic to who they are.”
Ultimately, Chiles ended her statement on a defiant note.
“I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing,” she stated.
The US could yet appeal the CAS’ ruling at the Swiss Federal Tribunal.
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