Simone Biles says it’s ‘not a big deal’ after video shows scoring blunder could cost her gold
Simone Biles isn’t worried about potentially missing out on another gold medal after another floor exercise mishap at the Paris Olympics.
Video from a camera crew following Biles at the Paris Games for the Netflix documentary series “Simone Biles: Rising” was given to Jordan Chiles, whose lawyers filed it with the Swiss Federal Tribunal on Monday as part of Chiles’ appeal to retain her bronze medal. The video also showed Biles asking Team USA coach Cecile Landi if there was an investigation into her floor exercise score.
Biles asked Landi, “Did he ask?” referring to Landi’s husband and co-coach, Laurent, who filed an inquiry. Landi responded, “He said he did.” Laurent then spoke to Landi in French before Landi turned to Biles and said, “They didn’t send it.”
Landi then asked her husband, “What about Jordan? Do you want to try it?”
Biles finished 0.033 points behind Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade to win a silver medal in the women’s individual floor final. If the test had been successful, Biles would have earned enough points to win the gold.
“(Honestly) it’s not a big deal to me,” Biles tweeted in response to the video. “Rebecca had a better floor anyway. It’s annoying that it didn’t get processed but I’m not mad at the results (sic).”
Biles added: “But justice for Jordan. Do you hear me?”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be honest, I don’t really care, Rebeca had a better floor anyway 🫶🏾 It’s a shame that it wasn’t processed, but I’m not angry about the result.
BUT JUSTICE FOR JORDAN 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
do you hear me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) September 17, 2024
Chiles, the last of nine gymnasts to perform her floor exercise, received an opening score of 13.666, placing her in fifth place behind Andrade, Biles and Romanian gymnasts Ana Bărbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who each scored 13.700. (Bărbosu had a higher execution score than Maneca-Voinea, meaning the judges felt she performed a cleaner routine.)
After Chiles’ routine, Landi submitted a request, which the judges accepted, raising Chiles’ score to 13.766, moving her into bronze. The video submitted Monday showed Landi saying, “Request for Jordan,” twice before the one-minute window to challenge scores closed.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation has appealed to CAS against the timeliness of Chiles’ request. According to the federation, the request was submitted four seconds after the one-minute deadline expired.
CAS ruled that Chiles’ investigation had been filed too late and that her original score should be reinstated, effectively kicking her off the podium. The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) amended the results to reflect that before the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had the final say on who would get the bronze medal.
The IOC stripped Chiles of her bronze and awarded it to Bărbosu, who accepted her medal at a ceremony in Bucharest on August 16. Chiles’ lawyers filed a formal appeal Monday seeking to overturn the CAS ruling.
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(Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
