Jordan Chiles raised her voice.
She had a question and she would not be denied her right to ask it.
So she did.
During the floor final at the Olympics this week, Jordan gave it all she had.
Leaving it all on the floor, she was hoping for a spot on the podium.
At first, it seemed that Romania’s Ana Barbosu would win the bronze medal.
No doubt what happened to Ana was heartbreaking. She believed she won the bronze.
Ana carried her flag proudly celebrating her medal win when suddenly, the results were changed.
Jordan was placed into third place, cinching the bronze medal.
Dropping her flag, Ana left the arena in tears.
Her performance was beautiful and medal worthy. So was Jordan’s.
Sometimes, the Olympics comes down to the smallest of margins.
Jordan’s performance included a skill that would score her more points, the tour jeteě full.
When her coaches noticed that she was not awarded points for this difficult skill, they encouraged Jordan to make an inquiry.
Gymnasts are not allowed to perform an inquiry on an execution score, but they can perform an inquiry if they feel a skill was missed.
Jordan and her coaches challenged her given score.
The judges noticed that they did miss awarding her points for this particular skill.
Her score was fixed, landing her the bronze medal and breaking Ana’s heart.
It was not easy to watch. You felt joy for Jordan and heartache for Ana.
The Romanians are now challenging the results.
Surprisingly, not on Ana’s behalf but on behalf of another Romanian gymnast, Sabrina Maneca.
She had been deducted points for going out of bounds.
When reviewing the tape after the medal ceremony, it was shown that Sabrina did not step out of bounds.
Once reviewed, if they agree that an error was made, Maeca’s score would actually surpass Jordan’s score.
It is unlikely that they strip Chiles of her bronze medal. No one is exactly sure how this will be fixed.
That said, the attacks on Chiles have begun and it is not her fault.
Her socials are filled with nasty comments calling her a fraud and unworthy of her medal.
This is not fair. The judges are to blame, not Jordan.
Chiles has been nothing but supportive of the other athletes and she had no way of knowing that Sabrina did not step out of bounds.
The hate Jordan is receiving sends a message that speaking out is a mistake.
Jordan and her coaches stood up for themselves when they believed she was not scored fairly.
They did the right thing. Others believe she stole Romania’s medal. Their anger and hateful rhetoric is misdirected.
This grave error solely falls at the feet of the judges.
Let’s not send the message that young women should be punished for sticking up for themselves.
Love, She Pens by Aliette Silva
