Jordan Chiles Wasn't 'Able to Move' After ‘Devastating' Olympics Medal Controversy: ‘I Still Struggle to Talk About It'
Jordan Chiles is opening up about the 'devastating' impact of having the bronze medal stripped away from her after the Paris Olympics last summer.
The 23-year-old U.S. gymnast opened up about the Olympic controversy in a new ESPN profile piece surrounding the release of her debut memoir, I'm That Girl: Living the Power of My Dreams, last month.
"It's still a struggle to talk about it," Chiles tells ESPN, detailing the impact the incident had on her mental health. "Six months ago, I was not able to move."
The UCLA gymnast adds later in the story: 'I was stuck in my bed. I was mentally gone, mentally not okay.'
Chiles was stripped of the bronze medal she initially won in the women's floor competition last August. The series of events began after Chiles was first awarded fifth place in the event, two spots off the podium. Chiles' USA Gymnastics coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi then submitted a request for a second review of the athlete's score, asking the Olympic judges to take into consideration the difficulty of her routine.
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The judges agreed with Landi and then reshuffled the standings, awarding Chiles the bronze medal and leading to Chiles, silver medalist Simone Biles and Brazilian gold medalist Rebeca Andrade standing side-by-side on the podium.
After the event, two Romanian gymnasts filed an appeal on the judges' rescoring, arguing that Landi's initial inquiry into Chiles' score came seconds too late. The decision was arbitrated by several sports bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, the International Gymnastics Federation and the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A judge for the CAS ultimately ruled in favor of the Romanians, and led to the IOC requesting Chiles ship her bronze medal back, stripping her of the title while she was in the middle of a week of media appearances celebrating what she told ESPN was the accomplishment of a 'lifelong dream.'"I can still feel the joy and happiness I had when I won the bronze medal," Chiles told ESPN's Alyssa Roenigk. "I was happy that I was able to stand on that podium with Simone and Rebeca because that's a lifelong dream of a little girl. But now, some days I don't get to think that way."
Chiles also revealed in the piece that she has not sent back the medal. She and her lawyers are still fighting the ruling, per ESPN, and her appeal over the most recent decision is currently in the hands of the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. According to the outlet, a ruling on Chiles' petition could take years.
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The Oregon native also admitted she debated ever returning to competitive gymnastics after the incident last summer.
"I thought, 'There's no way I'm going to compete on a competition floor again,' " she said. "I'm going to get looked at. People are going to yell crazy things. The negativity is just going to keep coming.'
Related: Jordan Chiles Reveals Which of Her 2024 Olympics Teammates Still Texts Her for Fashion Advice (Exclusive)
In her new book, Chiles writes about the moment she found out she was being stripped of the bronze medal.'I'm surprised everyone couldn't hear the sound of my heart breaking, because it absolutely did,' Chiles writes, describing the moment she found out while in an Uber. 'My brain stopped even functioning within my body. Somewhere faraway, I could see my mom shaking her head, and hear her saying 'Why? Why!' "
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