Simone Biles publicly stated wanted justice for teammate Jordan Chiles© Getty

Simone Biles publicly defended Team USA gymnastics teammate Jordan Chiles, who lost her Olympic bronze medal in the floor exercise after a controversial score protest. The most decorated American gymnast shared her belief that the decision to strip Chiles of her medal resulted from errors out of her control.

The dispute happened during the Paris Olympics after Chiles was awarded the bronze medal after her coach, Cecile Landi, successfully challenged her score. The minor point adjustment, consisting of a tenth of a point, pushed Chiles onto the podium alongside Biles and Brazilian star Rebeca Andrade, knocking out Romania’s Ana Barbosu.

But the Romanian Gymnastics Federation challenged the timing of Team USA’s move, claiming that the submission was too late according to the International Gymnastics Federation [FIG] rules. The regulations note that the claim must be made within one minute.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] judged in favor of Romania, saying America’s challenge was submitted after the one-minute deadline allowed by FIG. As a result, the original score change was taken away, and the bronze medal was awarded back to Barbosu.

USA Gymnastics continued supporting Chiles’s right to keep her medal, even submitting fresh video evidence to verify their claim was placed in time. But CAS was firm in its stance that its decision was final and could not be reconsidered.

Rebeca Andrade, Simone Biles, and Jordan Chiles stand at the podium© Getty

“We firmly believe that Jordan rightfully earned the bronze medal, and there were critical errors in both the initial scoring by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the subsequent CAS appeal process that need to be addressed,” read USA’s statement.”Given these circumstances, we are committed to pursuing an appeal to help Jordan Chiles receive the recognition she deserves.”

In an interview with People, Biles described feeling disappointed with the ruling. “We saw what you did. And it’s unfortunate because something like this has never happened before,” she said. “And it’s truly a shame, but we wish all three girls could get the medal, and unfortunately, in gymnastics, that’s not the case.”

“Do we think they did the correct procedures to come to this ruling? No,” Biles continued. “That’s really why we want that justice for Jordan and why we’re going to keep supporting and uplifting her.”

During her teammate’s social media hiatus, Biles shared memes, photos, and memories from the games, but first with Chiles’s approval. The seven-time gold medalist also shared that she had notified Chiles of the custom bronze clockmade by Flavor Flav as a unique placeholder for her lost medal.

Chiles then announced she would be taking a break on social media following an influx of hateful and racially driven comments. She returned on Instagram to deliver a statement of being speechless and heartbroken about the choice but praised the support system that helped her along the way.

If Chiles decides not to hand over the medal, it could lead to further legal proceedings or sanctions from the IOC that could jeopardize future Olympic participation. The Associated Press reported that the US Olympic Committee would be responsible for handing over the medal.