American gymnast Jordan Chiles has expressed her profound disappointment and heartbreak after being stripped of her Olympic bronze medal in the floor exercise event at the Paris Olympics. She has also spoken out about facing racially motivated abuse on social media. Chiles initially won the bronze medal after successfully appealing the judges' scoring of her routine, which bumped her from fifth to third place. However, the Romanian Olympic Committee challenged the appeal, arguing that it was filed four seconds after the one-minute time limit.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) subsequently voided Chiles's appeal, leading to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ordering her to return the medal. In light of this decision, Romania's Ana Barbosu was promoted to third place while Chiles dropped back to fifth. Initially, the Romanians had requested that both gymnasts be awarded the bronze medal.

Following the ruling, Chiles decided to take a break from social media. However, she returned on Thursday to express her disappointment over the situation and the racial abuse she has been subjected to. In an emotional statement, Chiles wrote, "I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow not just to me but to everyone who has championed my journey. To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful."

USA Gymnastics submitted evidence supporting Chiles's claim that her appeal was filed within the time limit. However, Cas dismissed the appeal, emphasizing that their decision cannot be altered even when new evidence is presented.

Despite the setback, Chiles has vowed to continue fighting for her bronze medal. She also achieved gold in the team event alongside her US teammates. Determined to seek justice, Chiles wrote, "I will approach this challenge as I have others - and I will make every effort to ensure that justice is done. I believe that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing."

There is a possibility that USA Gymnastics may take the case to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which has the authority to review and hear appeals against Cas decisions. However, the tribunal rarely overturns such rulings. It has also come to light that the head of the Cas panel in Chiles's case, Dr. Hamid G Gharavi, has previously worked on legal matters for the Romanian government. Cas has clarified that Gharavi disclosed this information, and none of the parties involved in the Chiles hearing objected to his involvement.

The saga surrounding the medal dispute has taken a toll on all the gymnasts involved, according to former Olympic champion Nadia Comaneci. She took to X to express her disbelief and call for the protection of athletes' mental health and emotions.

As Chiles continues her fight for justice, the gymnastics community and fans await further developments in this highly controversial case.