Jordan Chiles Lost a Bronze Medal Because an Appeal Was Four Seconds Late

An inquiry by Chiles’s coach led judges to adjust her score and give her a medal. A court ruled the inquiry came too late. Now, the I.O.C. wants her bronze back.

After learning that she might lose the bronze medal she won in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics — the only individual medal she won at these Summer Games — the American gymnast Jordan Chiles took to social media on Saturday and posted four broken heart emojis on a black background.

That’s four broken hearts for the four seconds that cost her a bronze medal. Four seconds over which she had no control.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed on Sunday that it would strip Chiles of her bronze medal and give it to Romania’s Ana Barbosu.
The decision came after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Saturday that Chiles’s coach had filed a scoring inquiry four seconds too late, according to gymnastics rules.