Romanian gymnast loses Olympic bronze medal after controversial rulings by judges
Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu, who took part in the floor exercise final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, lost her spot on the podium after American gymnast Jordan Chiles filed a challenge. Similarly, gymnast Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who took…
Radu Dumitrescu · Journalist
· Updated · 4 min read
Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu, who took part in the floor exercise final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, lost her spot on the podium after American gymnast Jordan Chiles filed a challenge. Similarly, gymnast Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who took part in the same event, was penalized by the judges, who pushed her into fifth place, despite a video showing that the mistake they highlighted did not take place.
Ana Bărbosu briefly celebrated winning the bronze medal with a score of 13.700 in the floor exercise. However, the situation changed after American gymnast Jordan Chiles filed a challenge. Chiles claimed she was not awarded points for a move called the Gogean, named after the famous Romanian gymnast Gina Gogean.
The judging panel decided to add 0.100 points to Chiles' score, awarding her the bronze medal and sparking controversy. Pictures show Ana Bărbosu holding the Romanian flag ready to take the podium, then looking in shock at the board after the change in scores.
Gymnastics scoring consists of two separate elements: a difficulty score (D score) and an execution score (E score). The E score is a maximum of 10 points, with judges deducting points for errors such as missteps or slight wobbles on landings. The D score entirely depends on the difficulty of the elements each gymnast performs during their routine, according to G4Media.
During a routine, such as Chiles' floor exercise, judges track each skill or element the gymnast completes. Each element has a specific point value that adds to the D score. After the score is announced, a gymnast's coach, who knows all the planned elements in the routine and their corresponding difficulty score, can choose to challenge the D score by presenting an official "challenge." Essentially, the coach asks why a particular element was not credited, which can sometimes lead to an improved score after the initial announcement.
Chiles' initial D score for her floor exercise on Monday was 5.8, which placed her behind Bărbosu. However, after the routine, her coach filed a challenge. The challenge concerned an element in her routine, named the Gogean, a split leap with a 1.5 turn that was initially not credited by the judges. The D score was increased by a tenth of a point to 5.9, which was enough to award her the bronze medal with a total score of 13.766.
