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Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles is speaking out in her own words about the medal controversy that followed the 2024 Paris Games — and why she’s refusing to quietly move on.
In a new essay for Time, Chiles detailed how an error in scoring her floor routine — followed by a dispute over the timing of her coach’s inquiry — turned her bronze medal into a prolonged legal battle.
“Ever since the 2024 Olympics, I have felt like I was holding my breath,” Chiles wrote. “An error in how my floor routine was scored—and a debate about when my coach challenged the mistake—turned my bronze medal into an international controversy.”
Chiles said a key turning point came on January 23, when the Swiss Federal Supreme Court ruled that critical video evidence must be considered — footage she says shows her coach submitting a verbal inquiry within the required time frame.
“When the Swiss Federal Supreme Court ruled in my favor to consider the video footage, I felt something I had not felt in a long time: relief, validation, and a quiet sense of peace,” she wrote.
The gymnast said the refusal to initially consider that footage — captured by Religion of Sports — was one of the most troubling aspects of the process.
“What has bothered me the most about this process has been the refusal by those deciding my case to consider video evidence that could prove my coach submitting a verbal inquiry within the required time,” Chiles wrote. “That moment was real. It was recorded. And it mattered.”
Throughout the essay, Chiles made clear that her fight extends beyond a single medal — and speaks to fairness across Olympic sport.
“This was never just about me,” she wrote. “It is about every athlete who has ever stood on a podium, trusting that the rules would be applied fairly.”
Reflecting on why she continues to challenge the outcome, Chiles added: “To put it simply, I am giving my dream the fight it deserves.”
She also emphasized the significance of the historic all-Black podium moment in women’s gymnastics, writing, “I fight for that historic all-Black podium. A moment that was etched into the hearts of everyone who witnessed it.”
Chiles said being asked to “move on” without a full review of the evidence conflicted with the values athletes are taught to uphold.
“As an athlete, I am taught that details matter. That timing matters. That fairness matters,” she wrote.
She closed by making clear that the stakes of this fight reach far beyond her own case: “I am standing up for myself, for every Olympic athlete who stands on that podium, and for the next generation who deserve to compete in a system worthy of their dreams.”
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