If you’ve tuned in to the Olympics the last two weeks, you’ve seen some career-defining record moments by United States athletes. 

 

The U.S. Mixed 4×100 meter medley relay team comprised of Ryan Murphy, Nic Fink, Gretchen Walsh, and Torri Husk set a new world record in Swimming. Gretchen Walsh also broke the Olympic record in the Women’s 100 meter butterfly. 

 

In all, Team USA won 40 gold medals, tying with China for the most first place finishes. Overall, however, the U.S. topped the international competition in podium stands with 126 medals in all. Or is it 127?

 

This is where it gets tricky. 

 

During the final event of the Women’s Gymnastics Individual Event Floor Competition, all eyes were on USA’s record-shattering Simone Biles and Brazil’s Rebecca Andrade as they battled for gold. The gymnasts, who’ve long supported and advocated for each other, battled it out with Andrade edging out Biles for the top spot 14.166 to 14.133. 

 

In an admirable and little-talked about display of sportsmanship, Biles immediately walked over and hugged her rival as soon as her slightly-lower score was announced. 

 

However there were more contestants to go. Announcers thought Romania’s Sabrina Voinea’s flawless routine might have surpassed both girls but her score surprisingly placed her in her fourth, behind teammate Ana Barbosu. The .1 deduction for stepping out of bounds was not contested by the Romanian coaches, thought video replay showed her heel was actually in-bounds and would’ve ultimately put her on the podium. 

 

Last up was USA’s Jordan Chiles whose popular floor routine had the crowds cheering. Her initial score landed her in 5th as her coaches submitted an inquiry involving a move she hadn’t gotten credit for. As Romania’s Barbosu prepared to receive her bronze medal with her country’s flag draped around her, the scoreboard flashed and showed a score change. 

 

Chiles had been given credit for the added element and her new score eclipsed Barbosu’s. As the Romanian headed off the floor in tears, it was the US flag that would flank each side of the podium. 

 

Giving Andrade “her flowers” (slang for paying respect) by bowing to gold medalist Andrade on the podium, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles exemplified sportsmanship in an international competition. 

 

Meanwhile the Romanian Gymnastics Federation asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to review the procedure of Team USA Coach Landi’s appeal while its Prime Minister planned to boycott the Closing Ceremony. They also asked for a reinstatement of the deduction Voinea had erroneously received. 

 

CAS wrote Saturday that the initial finishing order should be restored, with Romania’s Barbosu and Voinea, third and fourth respectively, and Chiles fifth. The organization added the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) should determine the final ranking “in accordance with the above decision,” but left it up to the federation to decide who would get the medal. 

 

Both the USA and Romania Gymnastics Committees proposed that all three girls share the bronze. The girls had weathered an avalanche of emotions and social media firestorms through the questionable judging. It was a fair and amenable solution. 

 

FIG refused. They ordered Chiles to return the bronze medal so it could be shipped to Romania by claiming her coach’s inquiry came four seconds too late and reinstating her original score. 

 

Now the USA has appealed with video evidence showing Coach Landi’s first inquest came at 47 seconds, 13 full seconds before the deadline, with a second inquiry submitted at 55 seconds. As of press time, no ruling has been made on the latest appeal. 

 

At this point, I’m hoping someone like Haley Graham shows up in L,A, in 2028, determined to revolutionize a flawed gymnastics judging system a la Stick It. 

 

Jeanni Ritchie is a collegiate and elite gymnastics fan. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.