Three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman criticized the International Olympic Committee's ruling that U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles needs to return the bronze medal that she earned in the individual floor exercise.
"I don't think people realize these gymnasts work their entire lives for this moment, and it's supposed to be a celebration," Raisman said on TODAY (per TODAY.com's Anna Caplan). "This was one of my favorite moments at the Olympics, watching Jordan celebrate. I think it's so unfair. It's so cruel."
Chiles wasn't initially on the podium following her floor exercise, although she was eventually given a bronze medal following an inquiry from her coach that raised her score to 13.766.
However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport revealed that the inquiry occurred four seconds beyond the one-minute time limit to appeal. On Saturday, the International Gymnastics Federation announced that Romania's Ana Bărbosu would be elevated to third.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee revealed plans to appeal the decision and allow Chiles to keep her bronze medal, with USA Gymnastics submitting video evidence that the request occurred within one minute.
"This is just so heartbreaking, and I'm just so gutted for Jordan," Raisman said, per Kaplan. "I can't even imagine what this past week has been like for Jordan and the other athletes involved. This is completely devastating."
Raisman is far from the only notable athlete to side with Chiles, as LeBron James also expressed his support for her in a Sunday post on X.
While Chiles' bronze status is up in the air, she won't be going home from Paris empty-handed regardless. She previously earned a gold medal during team competition.
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