Jordan Childs cries on stage after missing out on Olympic medal: 'It's because of the color of my skin'

American gymnast Jordan Childs couldn't hold back tears during her first interview about having her Olympic medal revoked.

The 23-year-old Olympian, nicknamed “Chick,” was embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of the Paris Games after U.S. coaches asked the judges to review the score after she won bronze in the women's floor exercise final.

Romania's Ana Barbos initially received a higher score than the American when she finished her routine, but the judges later reviewed the footage and changed their scores to move Childs to third place, initially sparking controversy and drawing strong backlash from Romanians.

Then, on the final day of the Olympics, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled that Chile's appeal had been submitted after the one-minute deadline, changed her score and dropped her to fifth place. The following day, on August 11, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled to return the medal to Chile.

Childs sat down for the first time this week to discuss the incident during a panel discussion at the Forbes Power Women's Summit 2024 on Wednesday, where she visibly choked up and broke down in tears when asked about the topic.

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“For me, everything that's happened has never been about a medal, it's about the color of my skin,” Chiles said.

Childs previously claimed she had been subject to “racist abuse” from social media users in a statement posted to X on August 15. With her bronze medal, Childs became the first person in Olympic history to have three black gymnasts on the podium in artistic gymnastics.

“It's about the fact that I'd done so much to get to this point as an athlete and then it felt like everything was stripped away.”

Chiles later likened the incident to a moment in her career in 2018, when she had graduated from high school, made her senior international debut and was on track to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. But despite her success, Chiles acknowledged she “lost the love for the sport” that year because of an abusive coach, whom she did not name.

“It felt similar to when I lost my love for the sport in 2018 – I'd lost it again. I felt like there were very few people I expected to support me through that situation. I really felt left in the dark,” she said.

“I was confronted by a coach who emotionally and verbally abused me. I wasn't allowed to use my voice or have my voice heard,” Childs said.

Jordan Chiles breaks silence after Olympic bronze medal ruling: 'I feel the decision was unfair'

Jordan Chiles flies through the air while competing on the uneven bars. (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Chiles spoke out about the abusive coach, whose name was not revealed, during a November 2021 episode of Facebook Watch's “Peace of Mind with Taraji.” Chiles said her previous coach “called me fat and said I looked like a donut” and constantly criticized her diet. In 2019, Chiles changed trainers and trained at the World Gymnastics Center in Texas, which is owned by Simone Biles' family.

But now, still shaken by the loss, she has not returned her bronze medal despite an IOC order, but Childs insists the medal is rightfully hers.

“I made history and I will always continue to make history. I did it right. I followed the rules, my coach followed the rules and we did absolutely everything right,” Chiles said.

After the Olympics ended in August, USA Today reported that Chiles and the rest of the U.S. Olympic team said they had “no intention” of returning their medals and were continuing to appeal the IOC's decision.

Biles told People magazine later that month that she had challenged the decision and joined a movement that claims Chiles had once again placed third.

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Jordan Chiles is congratulated by teammate Simone Biles after dramatically winning the bronze medal due to a score change during the women's floor exercise final at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on August 5, 2024. (Mehmet Murat Oner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Do we feel they followed the correct process to reach this sentence? No,” Biles said. “That's why we want justice for Jordan and we continue to support and encourage her.”

The controversy has led to increased international scrutiny of the judges who judged the event, with the Centre for Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) issuing a joint statement on August 15 condemning the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the judging team for the result.

“A lot of heartache could have been avoided if FIG had put such mechanisms and arrangements in place,” the CAS special committee said in a statement. “The committee expects that FIG will handle the outcome of this case appropriately, with regard to these three exceptional athletes, as well as other athletes and their support staff, to ensure that this never happens again in the future.”

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