Romanian Gymnast Ana Barbosu Presented Olympic Bronze Medal First Awarded to American Jordan Chiles

BUCHAREST, Romania—Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu received her Olympic bronze medal during a ceremony in the capital Bucharest on Friday that marked the conclusion of a swirl of controversy after the medal was first awarded to U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles but later revoked.

Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu poses with the bronze medal for her women’s artistic gymnastics individual floor performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, after receiving it during a ceremony at the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, in Bucharest, Romania, on Aug. 16, 2024. (Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)¹

“I did not expect the medal to be so heavy, but I would wear it day and night if this is what it takes to have it,” Barbosu said after the ceremony.

The medal was reallocated to Barbosu after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week that voided an appeal by Team USA coach Cecile Landi during the Aug. 5 floor exercise final in Paris, which had vaulted Chiles into third place and pushed Barbosu down to fourth.

“I am very happy to have this medal and hope to represent Romania at the highest level and bring home more medals,” she said.

Romania was a longtime superpower in gymnastics, but has failed to excel in recent years. Barbosu’s result brings home Romania’s first women’s Olympic medal in gymnastics since the 2012 London Games. USA Gymnastics has said it will continue efforts to let Chiles keep her medal.