Ana Barbosu breaks silence after Jordan Chiles’ medal is reallocated

Ana Barbosu responded to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) plan to award her the bronze medal after stripping Jordan Chiles of the honor.

“Sabrina [Maneca-Voinea]Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you feel because I went through the same thing,” Barbosu (18) wrote on Sunday, August 11 via Instagram Story. “But I know you will come back stronger.”

She added: “I hope from the bottom of my heart that at the next Olympic Games all three of us will share the same podium. This is my true dream.”

According to Barbosu, “this situation” would not exist if “those responsible had respected the regulation.”

Related: What happens to the investigation into Jordan Chiles and Romania’s bronze medal?

Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images; Naomi Baker/Getty Images The Romanian artistic gymnastics team suffered a series of lows during the floor exercise final of the 2024 Paris Olympics, setting off the events that put Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal in jeopardy. During the competition on Monday, August 5, Team Romania conducted a scoring survey […]

“We athletes should not be blamed and the hatred directed against us is painful,” the Romanian gymnast said. “I wanted to conclude this edition of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world.”

Chiles, Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea were three of the competitors in the women’s floor exercise finals on Monday, August 5. The trio all competed for bronze behind the Brazilian Rebecca Andrade and the United States of America Simone Biles. Barbosu was initially announced as the third-place winner just before Team USA filed an investigation into the difficulty of one of Chiles’ jumps.

The judges agreed with the survey and increased Chiles’ score from 13.666 to 13.766, giving Barbosu the podium spot. With 23-year-old Chiles in third place, it was the first time three black gymnasts stood on the Olympic podium.

Related: Simone Biles and more gymnasts support Jordan Chiles during medal drama

Following the Court of Arbitration of Sport’s controversial ruling against Jordan Chiles’ floor exercises, her fellow Team USA members are standing in solidarity. “Sending you so much love Jordan,” Simone Biles wrote via Instagram Story on Saturday, August 10. “Keep your chin up, Olympic champion! We love you!” The CAS confirmed this on Saturday […]

The next day, Team Romania investigated Team USA’s request and stated that the deadline had been exceeded. The CAS agreed to the request on Saturday, August 10, rolling back Chile’s score to 13,666 and noting that it was at the IOC’s discretion to strip athletes of medals.

“Following the CAS decision regarding the women’s artistic gymnastics floor exercise final and the change in the rankings by the International Gymnastics Federation, the IOC will re-award the bronze medal to Ana Barbosu,” the IOC’s Sunday statement said. “We are in contact with the NOC of Romania to discuss the redistribution ceremony and with USOPC about the return of the bronze medal.”

The United States Olympic Committee has since plans to appeal the decision.