Just days after news broke that Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles would be stripped of the bronze medal she won at the 2024 Paris Olympics, she is speaking out for the first time. In a statement she shared on Thursday, Jordan responded to the decision, and though she said this experience has been "devastating" for her, it doesn't sound like she's willing to give up on this fight anytime soon.
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Jordan shared her statement on social media.
Breaking her silence for the first time since the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Jordan's bronze medal should go to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu instead, Jordan began by thanking everyone for their support.
"While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away," she said. "I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful."
She called the decision a 'significant blow.'
And now, not only is she coping with the loss of her medal, but she also said she's facing "racially driven attacks" online.
"I've poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country," she shared in her statement. "I will never waver from my values of competing with integrity, striving for excellence, upholding the values of sportsmanship and the rules that dictate fairness."
She called the situation 'one of the most challenging moments' of her gymnastics career.
"I will approach this challenge as I have others — and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing," she wrote in her post.
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Jordan has been on a social media break since the ruling.
Though her post has since expired, Jordan took to her Instagram Stories on Sunday to share that she would be taking a step back from social media as the CAS' ruling continued to unfold.
"I am taking this time and removing myself from social media for my mental health thank you," she wrote at the time, via The Independent.
Ana Barbosu received the bronze medal on Friday.
Ana was presented with the medal during a ceremony held in Bucharest, where she said she was able to receive the honor thanks to "the federation and the law firm who did not give up on us athletes and fought for us," according to the Associated Press.
"I am very happy to have this medal and hope to represent Romania at the highest level and bring home more medals," she said.
