Romania’s Ana Barbosu received her bronze medal from the Paris Olympics on Friday in the latest chapter of a controversy also engulfing American gymnast Jordan Chiles.
The medal, from the floor exercise final earlier this month, has been hotly contested as a result of a snafu in the judges’ scoring, with USA Gymnastics believing that Chiles has a claim.
“Thank you to everyone who added a bit of bronze to this medal. Right now I can’t help but think about Sabrina and Jordan as well,” Barbosu said at the ceremony on Friday, according to a post on Instagram by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, via Google Translate.
“It’s a tough situation for us with so many uncertainties and overwhelming emotions. I hope everyone understands that we didn’t do anything wrong at the Olympic Games. And that the Olympic spirit is more important than any misunderstanding between the authorities. I want to believe that the day will come when all three of us will receive a bronze medal.”
Barbosu was initially ruled as the bronze medal recipient in the event, but after Team USA appealed, Chiles was given a higher score.
Then, the International Olympic Committee [IOC] said that Team USA did not appeal within the one-minute limit, which USA Gymnastics has insisted that it did.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation had proposed that Barbosu and Chiles share the medal, along with a third competitor, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, another Romanian who was the subject of a controversial score.
According to a report from USA Today’s Christine Brennan, Chiles — who addressed the ordeal in a lengthy social media message Thursday —plans on keeping her medal.
