Olympic gymnast left in tears after having medal ripped away as Team USA snatch bronze in last-gasp challenge
OLYMPIC gymnast Ana Barbosu broke down in tears after an inquiry led to her losing the individual bronze medal.
Team USA’s Jordan Chiles snatched the gong after inquiring about her own score in the women’s floor exercise final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday.
23-year-old Chiles originally placed fifth but submitted a challenge to judges and received a tenth back on her final score as a skill in her Gogean routine, a split leap with a 1.5-turn, was originally not credited.
Chiles jumped up and down and was in tears as she hugged her US gymnast teammate, Simone Biles, following the bronze medal announcement.
Barbosu, meanwhile, was left without words after her third-place finish was changed to placing fourth – meaning she wouldn’t receive a medal.
The 18-year-old was then seen sobbing on live television.
Chiles had finished with a 13.666 score, but an inquiry was opened into her score.
An inquiry takes place when a gymnast’s coach challenges the difficulty score, or D score, which is graded by the judges.
Chiles’ score of 5.8 was announced and her coach asked why a specific skill during her split leap was not credited, which led to an improved score.
The inquiry led to Chiles’ D score going up by one-tenth of a point, to 5.9.
Barbosu began celebrating her bronze medal before officials announced a change in Chiles’ score.
In the end, Chiles scored 13.766, and she went from finishing sixth to making her way to the podium.
It was the first individual medal for Chiles in her Olympic career.
Barbosu was seen holding the Romanian flag and in disbelief at her fourth-place finish.
She has never received a medal in the Olympics.
The decorated Biles, meanwhile, won silver in the event.
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won the gold, her first in this year’s games.
It’s the first time that Biles has not won gold in a floor exercise final.
Still, she has four medals, including three gold medals, in Paris.
Who is Ana Barbosu?
The 18-year-old Ana Barbosu is a Romanian gymnast.
She is the 2020 European junior team and all-around champion.
Barbosu made her Olympic debut in Paris as Romania qualified a team to the 2024 Games, a feat last achieved in 2012.
On August 5, she participated in the floor routine final on the last day of gymnastics events in the Paris Olympics.
Team USA’s Jordan Chiles was the last competitor, and the initial score posted on the jumbotron was lower than Barbosu’s.
At first, Barbosu thought she won a bronze medal in the event as she celebrated and grabbed her country’s flag.
It would be revealed that Chiles’ coaches had asked judges for an inquiry on her score.
Officials gave Chiles a score of 13.766, and she went from finishing sixth to making her way to the podium – leaving Barbosu without a medal.
Barbosu was seen stunned at the development and was then seen crying while leaving the venue.
Moments later, it was announced that Chiles’ coaches had asked judges to review the difficulty component of her score. That led to a .1 boost, bumping Chiles to 13.766 — just ahead of Barbosu’s 13.700.
During Biles’ floor routine, she stepped out of bounds twice but stuck the landing on the Biles I.
The 27-year-old spoke about her day as well as her overall Olympic performance.
“Today has been absolutely wild,” Biles said.
“I’ve accomplished way more than my wildest dreams, not just at these Olympics but in gymnastics … competing and then walking way with four medals, I’m not mad about it.
“I’m pretty proud of myself.”
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USA’s Suni Lee finished sixth.
This was the first time the USA had failed to finish on top of the podium at a women’s beam final in an Olympic Games since 2000.
As for Team USA’s track and field team, the Texas-born sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson celebrated her Olympic silver medal with a moving social media post.
Over the weekend, she finished second behind Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who defeated the American by 0.15 seconds in the women’s 100-meter final.
Richardson’s silver medal came after not appearing in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games due to a positive test for THC.
The substance is banned by the World Anti-Doping Code – despite it being increasingly decriminalized worldwide.
On Sunday, Richardson shared multiple pictures of herself rocking the American flag after earning her first Olympic medal.
The caption featured three silver hearts as fans rushed to the comments with praise for the 24-year-old, with one writing, “Congratulations queen!! Cheering for you always!!!”
Fans can watch USA men’s track star Jordan Lyles make history this week.
The 27-year-old won the Olympic men’s 100m title on Sunday, and he can add three more goals at this year’s Olympics.
Lyles will take part in the 200m, the 4x100m, and he could decide to race in the 4x400m relay as well.
If he claims four goals, he will be in Carl Lewis territory.
The icon Lewis won the sprint double, sprint relay, and long jump titles at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1985.