Jordan Chiles’ fans are unwavering in their support for her after it was determined the bronze medal she earned during the 2024 Paris Olympics would be revoked. A newly uploaded interview for “Way Up With Angela Yee” reveals exactly how the gymnastics star felt while in the throes of having her performance retroactively called into question.
The conversation was recorded on August 9, but out of respect for Chiles, Yee did not publish it until Friday (Aug. 23). In the 30-minute discussion, the athlete spoke about Team USA’s women’s gymnastics redemption tour, the viral podium moment she and Simone Biles shared with Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, and, of course, the controversy regarding Chiles’ appealed third-place win during the solo floor exercise finals.
The International Olympics Committee (IOC) stripped the 23-year-old of her medal after the Romanian Federation of Gymnastics (RFG) submitted a complaint claiming U.S. Coach Cecile Landi requested judges reevaluate Chiles’ score too late. Her routine initially earned a score of 13.666, placing her in fifth place, but after the appeal, she moved up to third place with a score of 13.766. In doing so, she bypassed Romania’s Ana Bărbosu, who originally nabbed the bronze with her 13.700. At the onset of the spectacle, the Washington native faced online attacks and backlash.
Chiles told Yee, “That was a lot,” when asked about dealing with the issue. Moreover, the Olympian added that the appeal of scores is not unusual. “It happens a lot; it just depends on what, you know, the judges really look at,” she said. The UCLA student further explained that it was “really the difficulty and what my floor routine was supposed to be or wasn’t supposed to be. Again, it does come all down to the judges. I didn’t do anything wrong. My coaches didn’t do anything wrong.”
She noted, “The biggest thing I think a lot of people are just taking away from is well, she changed the score. And it’s like, I can’t control that. I can’t control something that they did. It’s a rule. It’s literally in the handbook. Go look at the handbook.” Two days after the interview, on Aug. 11, it was ruled that Chiles would be stripped of her medal, and Bărbosu was declared the third-place winner.
The comment section for the video shared on YouTube was flooded with congratulatory messages and people reaffirming the young woman as an Olympic champion regardless of the ruling. On Friday (Aug. 23), Chiles shared a since-deleted post in her Instagram Story that read, “She’s a 10, but she’s still healing from things she didn’t deserve.”
The world-class gymnast previously addressed having to relinquish her solo victory in an open letter to her fans. She said the decision felt unjust and the “racially driven attacks” she faced in the aftermath had been extremely hurtful. Supporters, which include her teammates and the U.S. Olympic Committee, rallied behind her before and after she spoke out.
Hear more of Jordan Chiles’ full interview with Angela Yee below.