Romanian Gymnast Ana Barbosu Offers Heartfelt Message To Jordan Chiles After She Lost Her Bronze Medal

Most of the time, when you have the chance to be awarded a medal of any kind at the Olympics, you’re one happy camper.

However, Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu is breaking that mold - but with good reason. 

Barbosu competed in the women’s floor exercise final on Aug. 5, but originally did not medal. American Jordan Chiles took the bronze, while she finished in fourth.

This happened because there was evidently a mix-up in how Chiles’ final routine was scored. The judges gave her one point total, but the U.S. filed an appeal to have the score changed right after she finished. Chiles’ score was changed by 0.1 points, vaulting her from fifth to third ahead of Barbosu.

Ana Barbosu won the bronze medal in the women's floor exercise final, but it was because of a scoring error from the judges. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

However, a few days later, the IOC stripped Chiles of her medal because they claimed the United States did not file the appeal within a 1-minute time frame after the routine ended. To keep in line with the decision made by the Center Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped Chiles of her medal and gave it to Barbosu.

The U.S has decided to appeal this decision, as they believe they have gathered enough evidence to prove they made the inquiry in time.

"The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring," the organization wrote.

While you might expect the Romanian to be excited by the ruling in her favor, she was not. She posted a heartfelt message on Instagram, saying that she felt horrible for Chiles.

"Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you are feeling because I’ve been through the same. But I know you’ll come back stronger," the post read. "I hope from deep of my heart that at the next Olympics, all three of us will share the same podium. That is my true dream.

"The situation would not have existed if the persons in charge had respected the regulation. We, as athletes, are not to be blamed, and the hate directed to us is painful. I wanted to end this edition of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the spirit of Olympism, the true value of the world."

Chiles had to surrender her bronze medal under some controversial circumstances. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

This show of sportsmanship by Barbosu was truly admirable. She could have easily taken the medal and rejoiced, but she acknowledged the controversial circumstances around the matter and showed her opponent grace.

Sometimes, it's not just that you win, but how you win that matters. While some skepticism will remain about how she won her medal, she displayed championship-level character in receiving it.