Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu, who won bronze after a controversial ruling stripping American Jordan Chiles of her medal in floor exercise at the 2024 Olympics, will join the Stanford gymnastics team in the fall. She announced her commitment on Instagram on Wednesday.
“We are so excited to join this amazing family! ‘Go Card,’ she wrote.
Bărbosu, 18, was awarded a bronze medal six days after the floor exercise final after the team appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). At the competition on August 5, Chiles made it to the podium after her coach, Cecile Landi, managed to improve Chiles’ score by 0.1 points, moving from 5th to 3rd. The court ruled that the judges presiding over the finals should not have accepted the question because Randy’s request delayed the submission deadline by four seconds. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) handed Chile’s bronze medal back to Barbosu at a ceremony held in the Romanian capital Bucharest.
Bărbosu’s elation and devastation were in the spotlight on the day of the floor exercise finals. When Chiles, the last participant in the event, initially scored 13.666, Bărbosu, who scored 13.700, began celebrating what he thought was third place. After Chiles’ score was changed due to Landi’s inquiry, Bărbosu dropped the Romanian flag in shock and left the floor in tears.
Although Bărbosu is now the official owner of the bronze medal, the medal’s appeal is still pending. Chiles’ lawyers filed a formal appeal to the Swiss Federal Court and the Swiss Supreme Court to overturn the CAS ruling on September 16, and added a second appeal brief on September 24. USA Gymnastics also filed a separate appeal regarding Chiles’ application. . Chiles’ lawyers claim CAS failed to consider video evidence “showing that her inquiry was submitted on time”.
deeper
The IOC’s handling of the Jordan Chiles ruling is shocking and shameful.
Bărbosu’s participation in the Paris Olympics was largely overshadowed by the floor final controversy, but she helped Romania finish seventh in the team final and earned a spot in the individual all-around final. In the 2026 NCAA gymnastics season, she will join a Stanford squad that had a Cinderella performance from 52nd in Week 1 to the semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Championships. With Chiles finishing her senior season with UCLA gymnastics and Bărbosu making her NCAA debut, it’s likely Bărbosu and Chiles will face off at the collegiate level next season. Former Pac-12 foes Stanford and UCLA currently sit in different conferences (the ACC and Big Ten, respectively), but the schools are scheduled to meet in a dual meeting on March 9, which means they will continue to schedule conferences together in the future. Indicates that there is a possibility.
Another gymnast who competed for Romania at the 2024 Olympics will also soon enter the NCAA ranks as Lilia Cosman has committed to Michigan State.
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(Photo: Lionel Bonaventure / AFP via Getty Images)
