Paris, August 6: Gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci was furious after fellow Romanian Ana Barbosu lost her bronze to American Jordan Chiles on Monday when U.S. coaches called for an inquiry that boosted Chiles' score and left Barbosu off the podium and crying on the floor at the Paris Olympics. Barbosu initially thought she'd won a medal in Monday's floor final on the last day of gymnastics events. Paris Olympics 2024: Italy Wins First Olympic Mixed Team Skeet Gold Medal; Vincent Hancock Settles for Silver.
Chiles was the final competitor, and the initial score posted on the videoboard was lower than Barbosu's, prompting the Romanian to grab her country's flag and begin celebrating. Moments later, it was announced that Chiles' coaches had asked judges to review the difficulty component of her score. That led to a .1 boost, bumping Chiles to 13.766 — just ahead of Barbosu's 13.700.
Nadia Comaneci's Tweet on Mental Health
I can’t believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this… let’s protect them #anabarbosu https://t.co/BX2hipxmM5
— Nadia Comaneci (@nadiacomaneci10) August 5, 2024
When the revised results flashed, the 18-year-old Barbosu looked up toward the giant screen and froze. She was then filmed exiting the venue in tears, devastated. Sunisa Lee Says Gymnasts Noticed Unusual Quiet at Paris Olympics 2024 Balance Beam Final.
“At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like We're just going to try," Team USA coach Cecile Landi said of the inquiry. "I honestly didn't think it was going to happen but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like What?'”
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