Former Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman reacted to the controversy surrounding Jordan Chiles' bronze medal win in the women's floor exercise final, calling it "completely devastating."
Raisman, who won the bronze medal on the balance beam at the 2012 Olympics after her coach submitted an inquiry into her score, boosting her from fourth to third place, may relate the most to Chiles. The 30-year-old addressed Chiles' situation on TODAY Aug. 12.
“This is just so heartbreaking, and I’m just so gutted for Jordan,” Raisman said on TODAY. “I can’t even imagine what this past week has been like for Jordan and the other athletes involved. This is completely devastating.”
“I don’t think people realize these gymnasts work their entire lives for this moment, and it’s supposed to be a celebration,” Raisman continued. “This was one of my favorite moments at the Olympics, watching Jordan celebrate. I think it’s so unfair. It’s so cruel.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Aug. 11 that it would reallocate Chiles' bronze medal to Romania’s Ana Bărbosu after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) recommended for Chiles' original floor routine score to be reinstated.
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"I don't think that Jordan should have to give her medal back. The IOC has given more than one medal before, and I think that they should do that now," Raisman said.
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Raisman added she "can't even believe that we're in this position."
“As an athlete, we trust the process. We trust that the rules are in place, that there’s been a lot of thought behind it, and that the rules are there to be fair,” she said. “Going forward, we need to understand how this is happening and how to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
“It’s appalling, but I think that the organizations that are in charge of this need to really look at the athletes’ mental health and how much this is affecting them, and how cruel it is to take a medal away from someone,” she continued. “It’s just, like, unfathomable to me.”
Chiles initially received a score of 13.666 for her floor routine at the Olympic final, which put her in fifth place. Team USA then submitted an inquiry into Chiles’ score because it thought the judges didn’t give her credit for a skill.
The judges reviewed Chiles’ routine and updated her score to 13.766, which was enough to boost her into third place — earning her the bronze medal.
The CAS ruled that Chiles' coach submitted the inquiry four seconds past the one-minute deadline, voiding the inquiry that ultimately led Chiles to win the bronze medal for her floor routine.
USA Gymnastics said it would appeal the court's ruling, writing in an Aug. 11 statement that officials submitted a letter and video evidence that had not been previously available that it said showed Chiles' coach requested to file an inquiry 47 seconds after the score was published.
“We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed,” the statement said.
Raisman said that while she understands the judges "are human," these mistakes have impacted the biggest moment of these athletes' lives
“The judges did make a mistake. (USA Gymnastics) put the inquiry in. The judges accepted it, which means that they felt that it was under that minute. This is just — it’s just so — it’s unfair,” she added.
Chiles, 23, posted several broken heart emoji to her Instagram story on Aug. 10, before posting another story saying she would be removing herself from social media.
“I am taking the time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you,” Chiles wrote.
Raisman said she has been in contact with Chiles, but wanted to keep what the 23-year-old said to her private.
“I’ve known Jordan for a really long time, and I’m so proud of who she is. I loved watching her during this Olympic Games and the way that she has just done so much,” Raisman said. “I mean, people love her and support her for good reason. She’s just an incredible person.”
“I can’t even imagine how much she’s going through and how hard this is. She even said she’s taking a break from social media. There’s been horrific bullying, and I just feel for her,” she continued. “My heart’s going out to her. I support her, fully, and I’m just so sad and so disappointed that this is happening.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
