U.S. Gymnastics Icon Samantha Peszek Reveals Major Disappointment in Jordan Chiles Controversy

During the Paris 2024 Olympics, Jordan Chiles faced a distressing situation following the floor exercise final on August 5, which overshadowed her initial bronze medal achievement. Chiles had shared the podium with Brazil’s Rebecca Andrade (gold) and her U.S. teammate Simone Biles (silver). However, due to a technical issue, she was later stripped of her bronze medal.

 

The controversy arose when Chiles’ judges’ challenge, submitted during the competition, was ruled invalid because it was made four seconds beyond the allowed challenge period. Consequently, Chiles dropped from third place to fifth. Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu was awarded the bronze medal, while her compatriot Sabrina Voinea moved to fourth place.

 

Voinea had the same final score as Barbosu (13.700), but Barbosu secured third place due to a tie-breaker based on a higher execution score. Voinea’s camp has since filed an appeal, contesting a 0.100-point deduction from her score for a supposed out-of-bounds violation during her routine. They argue that Voinea did not commit any violation and should have been awarded third place with a score of 13.800.

 

Samantha Peszek, a U.S. gymnastics icon and Olympic silver medalist, has publicly criticized the handling of the situation. In an interview with Athlon Sports, Peszek expressed her dismay at the ordeal faced by the athletes, stating that it was a disheartening and stressful experience that should not have occurred. She criticized the decision-makers for failing to protect the athletes and emphasized that such issues should have been avoided.

 

Regarding USA Gymnastics’ response, Peszek admitted she was not fully informed about the internal processes but commended Chiles’ coach, Cecile Landi, for her actions. Peszek acknowledged that Landi had appropriately addressed the scoring issue as per her duty as a coach.

 

Peszek, who provided commentary for NBC during the Paris Games, observed that the invalidation of Chiles’ challenge and the resulting loss of 0.100 points were pivotal in her fall from a bronze medal position to an unfortunate fifth place.