Jordan Chiles is opening up about how it's been a "very difficult" time for her since being stripped of her Olympic bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Games.
In her first live TV interview since the scoring controversy, the 23-year-old gymnast told TODAY's Hoda Kotb on Nov. 11 that she now feels ready to talk about what happened.
Jordan Chiles joins us live with the latest on her ongoing battle for bronze. pic.twitter.com/oQ5aEotKPL
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 11, 2024
“Honestly, it’s been really, really hard just to comprehend everything that’s been happening,” Chiles said, growing emotional. “I’ve been able to finally now feel comfortable in a way to talk about what has been happening. … it’s just been a difficult time for myself and I’m ready to speak on my truth.”
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
Chiles said the support she's felt has provided her comfort and confidence during these trying times.
“I think now, it’s just the support that’s been around me that I’ve been like, ‘OK, I can’t control anything that’s happening on the outside, I can only control what my truth is, and I know what the truth is, and I know that we were right in everything that we were doing,’” she continued.
Chiles also teared up as she reflected on how her late grandfather’s memory has given her strength over the past few months.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
"As my grandpa would always say, he’d just tell me, ‘Everything happens for a reason. There’s reasons on why you’re the person you are. There’s reasons on why people look up to you.’”
She said that her late grandfather led by example as he overcame "tough situations" in his lifetime.
“I’ll be able to overcome this, and I’ll be able to look back and say, you know what, ‘That was just a portion of my story, but it’s the truth.’ And that’s why I’m here today, is to tell my truth," she said.
It’s been three months since Chiles was stripped of her medal following a scoring controversy at the 2024 Olympics.
Chiles originally received a score of 13.666 in the floor finals on Aug. 5, which would have landed her in fifth place.
However, shortly after her score came through, Team USA submitted an inquiry, arguing the judges had not awarded her for one skill she had demonstrated.
Her score was then increased to 13.766 and she moved to third place, beating out Romanian gymnasts Ana Bărbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea for the bronze.
Romanian officials then contested the judges’ decision, arguing that Team USA’s inquiry had been submitted too late. On Aug. 10, the Court of Arbitration for Sport recommended Chiles’ original score be reinstated. She subsequently lost her bronze medal and dropped back to fifth place.
“I have no words,” Chiles wrote in a statement posted to Instagram on Aug. 15. “This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey.”
She also said she did not plan on giving up.
“I will approach this challenge as I have others — and will make every effort to ensure that justice is done,” she wrote. “I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”
Speaking to Hoda, Chiles said she disagrees with the judges’ claim that her scoring inquiry had been submitted four seconds too late.
“Everything was very right, everything was in the time that it needed to be,” she said, adding that she and her team have “proof” and that they submitted their inquiry correctly.
Chiles also said she has not spoken to Ana Bărbosu since the scoring incident, but shared empathy for both her Romanian competitors.
“We have not had any conversations. I know that she has put stuff out on social media the same way that I was doing, and you know, they’re both amazing athletes and whatever she’s going through, I’m very, very sorry,” she said. “I’ve been going through the exact same thing, but I haven’t spoken to her directly.”
USA Gymnastics has said it will continue to fight CAS’ decision, saying in a statement on X on Aug. 12 that it would continue to pursue “every possible avenue” of appeal.
In September, Chiles’ lawyers filed an appeal with the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, arguing that the “procedures leading to the CAS panel’s decision were fundamentally unfair.”
Her legal team argued in a statement that Chiles had been denied her “right to be heard.” They also alleged that the president of the CAS arbitration panel had a conflict of interest because he had acted as a counsel for Romania.
“This appeal is about much more than the bronze medal,” the gymnast’s legal team said in a release. “Chiles is pursuing her case to encourage the entire Olympic community to take steps to ensure that future Olympians do not face a similar ordeal.”
After the judges’ ruling, Chiles’ fellow Team USA gymnasts shared their support for her on social media.
“All this talk about the athlete, what about the judges??” Suni Lee wrote in her Instagram story. “Completely unacceptable. this is awful and i’m gutted for Jordan. i got your back forever Jo. u have all my flowers and you will ALWAYS be an olympic champion.”
Simone Biles shared a photo of her and Chiles embracing after her floor routine.
“Sending you so much love Jordan,” Biles wrote in her Instagram story. “Keep your chin up olympic champ! we love you!”
In her interview with Hoda, Chiles shared gratitude for the “amazing support” system that has helped her navigate the past few months.
She also said she hasn’t made any decisions yet about returning for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“LA is in and out of my mind,” she said. “I think right now, I’m just trying to take in what’s happened from Paris and take (it) day by day.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
