Why a difference of four seconds could cost Jordan Chiles the bronze medal

Four seconds.

Just four seconds may be the reason Jordan Chiles loses her bronze medal in the gymnastics floor exercise final.

The Court of Arbitration of Sport stunned the gymnastics world on Saturday by voiding the inquiry that moved the Olympian into bronze position during Monday's dramatic final.

In the immediate aftermath of Chiles' floor routine, earning her a score of 13.666, U.S. coach Cecile Landi submitted an inquiry with the judges over the gymnast's difficulty level.

CAS ruled that Landi's appeal came outside of the 1-minute window allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation. How far outside that window did the appeal come? Four seconds.

The decision to reinstate Chiles' fifth place score would place her behind Romania's Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. The organization said the federation should determine the final ranking "in accordance with the above decision," and decide who would get the medal.

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USA Gymnastics said in a statement it is “devastated” by the ruling.

“The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring,” the organization wrote.

The 23-year-old Chiles became a target on social media in the aftermath of the late switch, with critics asking her to give back the medal or offering racist remarks. Chiles posted on X earlier this week that “it's funny how people can still never be happy for someone.”

Chiles' mother, Gina Chiles, called out the critics in a post, writing she was “tired” of the derogatory comments being leveled at Jordan.

“My daughter is a highly decorated Olympian with the biggest heart and a level of sportsmanship that is unmatched,” Gina Chiles posted. “And she’s being called disgusting things.”

Joint Statement from USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee regarding the CAS decision on the women’s floor final:

CAS Decision: https://t.co/KR6DYsfxEk pic.twitter.com/r1e6QKmKA4

— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 10, 2024