Jordan Chiles' Coach Pushes Back Against Allegations She Cheated to Win Bronze at 2024 Olympics

Chiles' coach Cecile Landi maintained that "Jordan won this bronze medal and didn’t steal anything from anyone"

• Jordan Chiles' coach Cecile Landi is pushing back against cheating allegations levied against the gymnast at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

• On Instagram, Landi responded to a user and said that Chiles “EARNED that bronze medal"

• The coach challenged Landi's difficulty score during the Games, and after a short inquiry, the judges awarded Chiles one-tenth of a point, which pushed her into third place over Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu

Jordan Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi is pushing back against allegations the gymnast cheated after her score was updated during the floor final – which led to her winning the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

A user on Instagram commented on Landi’s post on Tuesday, Aug. 6 and accused “the coaches cheated so Jordan could get a medal! What a coincidence.” The coach – who also coached  Chiles’ Team USA teammate Simone Biles – pushed back on the comment and wrote that Chiles “EARNED that bronze medal.”

“Jordan’s highest possible [score value] on floor is a 5.9 - At quals and team finals she received a 5.8 and we didn’t question it because we saw that not all elements were completed.” she explained. “During floor finals, we thought I was better and being placed 5th with nothing to lose, I sent the inquiry so I wouldn’t regret not asking.”

During the floor final on Aug. 5, Chiles initially earned a score of 13.666 and was in fifth place overall. Her coach challenged the difficulty score, and after a short inquiry, the judges awarded Chiles one-tenth of a point, which pushed her into third place over Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu – who was initially in contention for the bronze medal.

According to the Associated Press, “inquiries are a standard part of gymnastics competitions” and “scores can be adjusted up or down based on an inquiry.”

Bărbosu held the Romanian flag up in celebration of her bronze medal win. She then dropped it in shock when she saw the score change and left the floor in tears.

Related: Simone Biles, Rebeca Andrade and Jordan Chiles Celebrate First All-Black Gymnastics Podium: ‘Super Exciting’

Landi clarified that she initially “didn’t think it would be accepted” and was surprised that it ended up being accepted. She said that she “felt bad” for Bărbosu and that it “was so sad and heartbreaking to see” her reaction, “but it is the sport!”

“Jordan won this bronze medal and didn’t steal anything from anyone,” she continued. “I simply did my job and fought for my athlete.”

She asked for people to “respect the outcome” of the competition and “more importantly respect Jordan and not drag her down because you disagree.”

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As of Aug. 6, the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee announced on Facebook that they “sent a letter of protest to the International Gymnastics Federation… to re-evaluate the objection of Sabrina Voinea Maneca's ground exercise.”

“Mediating the case of the Romanian sport at the international level, her public declaration to give up practicing this sport as a result of today's decision morally obliges the decision-makers to re-analyze, ground and communicate the final decision.," they wrote in the post. The statement also addressed Bărbosu’s bronze medal loss and wrote that "Ana Bărbosu, who for a minute and a half was in 3rd place, was also a victim in the context of awarding grades and accepting appeals."

Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu also announced in a Facebook post on Aug. 6 that he would be boycotting the closing ceremony over the “scandalous situation.”

Related: Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles Wear Cheeky ‘Team USA’ Shorts in Paris: ‘Red, White, Biles & Chiles’

“Our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner,” he wrote in his translated Facebook post. “To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal, which neither the coaches nor the top technicians understand, is totally unacceptable!”

He wrote that he did not “want to argue with anyone today, but I only choose to protest through my gesture against a blatant injustice to some Romanians who have fully proven their worth!”

Ciolacu also confirmed that Bărbosu and fifth-place finisher Maneca-Voinea will be treated as Olympic medalists by the Romanian government.

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