The Women's Floor Exercise final was concluded on Monday. All the exceptional athletes gave their best on the field. Unfortunately, there was a limited number of medals available. The top three gymnasts ended up taking home the titles. Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, and Rebeca Andrade were those athletes.
However, there is a major controversy over who rightfully owns the bronze medal. This controversy primarily occurred between the American and Romanian teams.
The bronze medal originally belonged to the Romanian athlete Ana Barbosu. She was about to raise the Romanian flag in joyful celebration when, in the next moment, she heard the news that the American athlete had succeeded in her appeal. After hearing the news, the flag in her hand immediately fell to the ground and she broke down in tears. Finally, she left the field accompanied by her coach, lost in thought.
This young Romanian athlete participated in the Olympic Games for the first time this year, and the women's floor exercise may have been her best result in the competition. She did not achieve good placements in other events. She could have won a medal in her first Olympics, but her Olympic journey came to an end due to the manipulation of the U.S. team.
The news that Ana Barbosu had lost her medal after the successful appeal by the U.S. team shocked many. Even part of the local American audience did not fully understand the situation, not to mention the Romanians.
The Romanian crowd was so outraged that they claimed the U.S. team was made up of thieves who stole another person's medal. The incident even alarmed the Prime Minister of Romania. He expressed his indignation on Facebook, stating that the Romanian athletes were definitely treated dishonorably and that this was completely unacceptable. He also stated that he would not attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games.
However, amid the criticism, some believe that the successful appeal by the U.S. team is, in a way, justifiable. Some internet users felt that it made sense for a member of the U.S. team to complain about the difficulty score, as this was perfectly aligned with the Olympic rules regarding appeals in gymnastics competitions. Moreover, they believe that Jordan Chiles' movements meet the standards for a difficulty score appeal.
Miraculously, it always seems that the U.S. team succeeds in their appeals. Just like in the balance beam final at the 2012 London Olympics, where Ponor, also from the Romanian team, won bronze, but after the appeal from the U.S. team, Romania lost the medal as well. The story is always remarkably similar and makes us question why the U.S. team always succeeds in their appeals.
In any case, I hope that the Romanian athlete does not feel too sad about losing this medal. After all, there will surely be more medals waiting for her in the future.
