Imagine this: you have trained for years and are finally honored with an award you deserve. But little do you know this achievement you’ve worked so hard for has been stripped from you due to a technicality. Because your coach was four seconds late to appeal an incorrect score that the judge overlooked. You did everything right, but because of the coach and the judge, who both made mistakes, your dreams are crushed. At the 2024 olympics, Jordan Chiles had her bronze medal stripped from her just because her coach didn’t appeal within the one minute deadline. She appealed at one minute and four seconds. Four seconds may seem like nothing, but in gymnastics every second counts.
In gymnastics, scoring mistakes like this are very common. Yet Chiles is the only olympic gymnast to have her medal taken away for reasons other than age falsification or a failed drug test. When Chiles stepped onto the podium she was elated. For she had worked so hard to win her medal. She stood up on that podium and waved to the millions of people on live TV, her friends, family and maybe even you. But five days later, all that recognition was taken away from her. The Olympic committee had disqualified Chiles’ original appeal and at that moment her medal was replaced with disappointment and embarrassment.
There are always two sides to a story and that is definitely true in this case. Ana Barbosu was the “lucky” gymnast finally rewarded with the bronze medal once Chiles was disqualified. But even though she technically won the medal, it will never be the same as being able to stand up on the podium with all the other medalists. Barbosu will never have the experience of waving to her friends and family from the award platform. She will never have the chance to publicly thank the people who helped her get to where she is. Or even just to be truly proud of herself for what she accomplished. The time has passed and the moment is gone, lost forever. So even though Barbosu has the metal, she will never get to feel that Olympic feeling again, at least for four more years.
Like I said this can happen to anyone. Just as it did to me. Although it was nowhere near the Olympics, at the state championships my gymnastics team was awarded third place. It wasn’t until later that we learned we actually took first. We stood up on the third place podium, with our third place banner and went home thinking we placed third. A week later the scoring committee noticed the scoring was incorrect, and we actually placed first. As happy as my team was to hear the amended news, we couldn’t help but feel disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to go stand at the top of the podium and feel that victorious feeling. Just like Ana Barbosu must feel.
I feel sorry for both Chiles and Barbosu, who both had their memories tarnished. I don’t know who should get the medal or if they both should. But what I do know is if it does happen to you, know you’re not alone and it happens to the best, including Olympians.
