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Bitter Romanian gymnast hits out at American rivals after dramatically losing her Olympics bronze medal to Jordan Chiles
Romanian Olympic gymnast Ana Barbosu shared an online complaint with her Instagram followers after her controversial fourth-place finish in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics.
Barbosu had already begun celebrating her apparent third-place finish on Monday when coaches for American Jordan Chiles entered an appeal to judges over Chiles' score. The inquiry resulted in a 0.1 boost for Chiles – enough to overtake Barbosu for the last spot on the Olympic podium.
The 18-year-old gymnast responded by dropping her Romanian flag in horror before bringing her hands to her face and walking off in tears. And since then, gymnastics-loving Romanians have fumed over the decision while Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said Tuesday that he will boycott the Paris Olympics' closing ceremony due to the 'scandalous situation.'
Barbosu has not personally complained about the decision publicly, but she did repost a Romanian gymnastic legend's criticism, which seemed to suggest that American favoritism was afoot.
'I hear more vividly than ever the words that the coaches repeated to us almost daily in the training room,' former Romanian Olympic gymnast Sandra Izbasa-Bianca wrote in Romanian, as quoted by E! Online. 'You, as Romanians, must be more than perfect in order not to leave room for interpretations!'
Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu shared an online complaint after her fourth-place finish
Barbosu did not personally complain about the decision publicly, but she did repost a Romanian gymnastic legend's criticism, which suggested American favoritism was afoot
'And here, it proves itself once again!' she added. 'Girls, head up and back straight! Keep believing in your dreams! Go Romania!'
It remains uncertain if Izbasa-Bianca was suggesting that Team USA benefits from favoritism, but she wouldn't be the first to make that claim.
'Gymnastics' pro-America bias is so insanely conspicuous it’s sad,' one fan wrote after Chiles took bronze. 'I’m sure the judges felt intimidated by a potential controversy if they didn’t placate the inquiry & knew that an American backlash >>> a Romanian backlash.'
For her own part, Barbosu shared a post expressing gratitude for all the support she's received since her disappointing fourth-place finish.
'Thank you to everyone who encouraged me before, during, and after the competition,' Barbosu wrote on Instagram in English.
Ciolacu promised Romania would honor Barbosu and fifth-place finisher Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, also Romanian, as Olympic medalists, 'including in terms of the prizes.'
Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles of Team USA pose with their Paris 2024 Olympic medals
'You have with you an entire nation for which your work and tears are more precious than any medal, no matter what precious metal they are from,' Ciolacu said.
Inquiries are a standard part of gymnastics competitions, with athletes or coaches asking judges to review a routine to ensure elements are rated properly. Scores can be adjusted up or down based on an inquiry.
The revised scoring of Chiles' performance also nudged Maneca-Voinea down to fifth place.
Romania was a longtime superpower in gymnastics, but this was the program's return to the Olympics after a 12-year break. Romanian gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci also lashed out after the event, writing on X, 'I can't believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this.'
Ciolacu said that viewers worldwide were 'literally shocked by this terrible scene' and said it highlights that 'somewhere in the system of organizing this competition, something is wrong.'