Jordan Chiles has broken her silence for the first time since she was stripped of her bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics.
It was confirmed on Sunday (August 11) that Chiles would be stripped of her bronze medal following a controversial decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The 23-year-old was given the bronze medal in the floor final after her score was raised from 13.666 to 13.766 all thanks to an appeal made by USA Gymnastics' coach Cecile Landi.
While originally it seemed as though the judges agreed with the coach, they made a U-turn decision following a counter-appeal by the Romanian Olympic committee who argued that Ana Barbosu - who was knocked into fourth place - should also be awarded a bronze-place position.
After further investigation, it was concluded that Landi had made her appeal too late which ultimately stripped Chiles of her bronze medal.
After initially announcing a social media break, Chiles has now released a statement addressing the entire ordeal, as well as other challenges she's faced since the decision was made.
"I am overwhelmed by the love I have recieved over the past few days," she started in an emotional post on Thursday. "I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG, and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time. While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away."
Chiles said she "had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules." But added that ultimately, "this appeal was unsuccessful."
"I have no words," Chiles said speaking of the result. "This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey," she continued before calling out the hateful messages that the situation has brought upon her.
"To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I've poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country."
The athlete went on to state that she "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," she continued in her heartfelt message.
Chiles concluded the message by talking of the future.
"I will approach this challenge as I have others - and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing," Chiles added.
It comes just days after Barbosu also spoke out about the controversial back-and-forth.
Taking to Instagram Stories, she shared a statement in which she expressed her sadness for both Chiles and Maneca-Voinea, who came in fifth and fourth place respectively.
"Sabrina [Maneca-Voinea], Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you are feeling, because I've been through the same. But I know you'll come back stronger," she wrote. "I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share [the] same podium.
"This is my true dream!" she continued. "This situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation. We, athletes are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful.
"I wanted to end this edition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world," she added.
