Jordan Chiles' Coach Pushes Back Against Allegations She Cheated to Win Bronze at 2024 Olympics

Mar. 15, 2025

Jordan Chiles.Photo:Naomi Baker/Getty

Naomi Baker/Getty

A user onInstagramcommented on Landi’s post on Tuesday, Aug. 6 and accused “the coaches cheated so Jordan could get a medal! What a coincidence.” The coach – who also coached  Chiles’Team USAteammateSimone Biles– pushed back on the comment and wrote that Chiles “EARNED that bronze medal.”

“Jordan’s highest possible [score value] on floor is a 5.9 - At quals and team finals she received a 5.8 and we didn’t question it because we saw that not all elements were completed.” she explained. “During floor finals, we thought I was better and being placed 5th with nothing to lose, I sent the inquiry so I wouldn’t regret not asking.”

During the floor final on Aug. 5, Chiles initially earned a score of 13.666 and was in fifth place overall. Her coach challenged the difficulty score, and after a short inquiry, the judges awarded Chiles one-tenth of a point, which pushed her into third place over Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu – who was initially in contention for the bronze medal.

Cecile Canqueteau-Landi’s Instagram response.Cecile Canqueteau-Landi/Instagram

Cecile Canqueteau-Landi/Instagram

According to theAssociated Press, “inquiries are a standard part of gymnastics competitions” and “scores can be adjusted up or down based on an inquiry.”

Bărbosu held the Romanian flag up in celebration of her bronze medal win. She then dropped it in shock when she saw the score change and left the floor in tears.

Landi clarified that she initially “didn’t think it would be accepted” and was surprised that it ended up being accepted. She said that she “felt bad” for Bărbosu and that it “was so sad and heartbreaking to see” her reaction, “but it is the sport!”

“Jordan won this bronze medal and didn’t steal anything from anyone,” she continued. “I simply did my job and fought for my athlete.”

Jordan Chiles.Jean Catuffe/Getty

Jean Catuffe/Getty

She asked for people to “respect the outcome” of the competition and “more importantly respect Jordan and not drag her down because you disagree.”

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As of Aug. 6, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee announced onFacebookthat they “sent a letter of protest to the International Gymnastics Federation… to re-evaluate the objection of Sabrina Voinea Maneca’s ground exercise.”

“Mediating the case of the Romanian sport at the international level, her public declaration to give up practicing this sport as a result of today’s decision morally obliges the decision-makers to re-analyze, ground and communicate the final decision.," they wrote in the post. The statement also addressed Bărbosu’s bronze medal loss and wrote that “Ana Bărbosu, who for a minute and a half was in 3rd place, was also a victim in the context of awarding grades and accepting appeals.”

Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu also announced in aFacebookpost on Aug. 6 that he would be boycotting the closing ceremony over the “scandalous situation.”

“Our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner,” he wrote in his translated Facebook post. “To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!”

He wrote that he did not “want to argue with anyone today, but I only choose to protest through my gesture against a blatant injustice to some Romanians who have fully proven their worth!”

source: people.com