[An image of a gymnast performing her routine. Photo Credit to Unsplash]

On September 11th, U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles opened up about the struggles and inner turmoil she faced after the 2024 Paris Olympics, which ended exactly a month ago, on August 11th.

At the Forbes Power Women’s Summit on Wednesday, Chiles reflected on the ordeal she had gone through and shared her current state of mind regarding her gymnastics career.

Chiles initially placed fifth in the Olympics floor exercise final, but after a Team USA inquiry, her difficulty score—a number added to the execution score for the final result in gymnastics—was raised, bumping her up two places to third.

It was a significant moment for Chiles, as it marked her first individual Olympic medal after being a part of Team USA’s silver win at the Tokyo Olympics four years earlier.

However, after Chiles was awarded the bronze medal, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed, arguing that the USA inquiry had been submitted after the designated 60-second deadline.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld this appeal and determined that Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, had missed the deadline by four seconds.

This decision stripped Chiles of her medal, pushing her back to fifth place, and Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu was awarded bronze five days later.

USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) presented video evidence from that day, claiming that the inquiry had been made within the time limit, but CAS refused to reconsider the case.

Chiles has since filed an appeal with the Swiss Federal Supreme Court, hoping to overturn the decision.

The situation has led to significant controversy, with the general public along with fellow athletes, including Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee, voicing their support for Chiles.

“The biggest thing taken from me … was the recognition of who I was. Not just my sport, but the person I am,” she told the Summit. “To me, everything that has gone on, it’s not about the medal. It’s about my skin color. It’s about the fact that there were things that have led up to this position of being an athlete.”

The audience gave her a round of applause as she collected her thoughts, appearing visibly emotional.

“And I felt like everything has been stripped,” she continued on. “I felt like I was back in 2018 where I did lose the love of the sport, I lost it again … I feel like I was really left in the dark.”

In 2018, Chiles nearly walked away from her career after struggling with her mental health, both due to the intense nature of gymnastics and a verbally abusive coach.

Although she has recovered significantly, her connection with the sport remains complex.

Chiles’ appearance in the Summit and the controversy surrounding the bronze medal have raised questions about the rules and regulations of gymnastics.

Critics argue that technicalities such as the time limit should not undermine the hard-earned achievements of athletes in the future, and are calling out the judges and CAS.