The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has voided the inquiry that led to an Olympic bronze medal for American gymnast Jordan Chiles in the women’s floor exercise.
The ruling by the CAS on August 10 said the inquiry filed on behalf of Chiles after the final in the event on August 5 came outside the 1-minute time limit allowed by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
Chiles was awarded the bronze medal after her inquiry was filed, but the CAS agreed with an appeal filed by the Romanian Gymnastics Federation on behalf of gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who were bumped into fourth and fifth place, respectively, by the judge's decision.
"The inquiry submitted on behalf of…Chiles in the Final of the women’s Floor exercise was raised after the conclusion of the one-minute deadline…and is determined to be without effect," the ruling said.
SEE ALSO: Afghan Refugee Breaker Disqualified For Wearing 'Free Afghan Women' Cape At OlympicsIt also said the initial score given to Chiles, which initially put her in fifth place, "shall be reinstated."
The CAS said the final ranking was up to the FIG but said it should “assign the medal(s) in accordance with the above decision.”
The decision means Barbosu, 18, will receive her country's only medal in the gymnastics competition.
"I can barely express my emotions. I can't believe it," Barbosu told Romanian media. "When I heard the news, I was afraid it wasn't true, and once I was sure, I hugged my parents and called everyone who had helped me."
It has been an emotional roller coaster for Barbosu, who thought she won bronze on the night of the competition and began celebrating only to leave the floor in tears with Maneca-Voinea after the revision of the scores.
Chiles initially was given a score of 13.666 that put her in fifth place behind Maneca-Voinea. U.S. coach Cecile Landi called for an inquiry, and after a review, judges boosted Chiles’s total by 0.1. That was enough to leapfrog Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for bronze.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation welcomed the decision and congratulated its two gymnasts.
"We laugh with one eye, we cry with one," it said on Facebook. "Following this decision, Ana Maria Barbosu gets the bronze medal while Sabrina Maneca-Voinea ends the competition on the 4th place."
USA Gymnastics said in a statement it is “devastated” by the ruling.
"The inquiry into the Difficulty Value of Jordan Chiles' floor exercise routine was filed in good faith and, we believed, in accordance with FIG rules to ensure accurate scoring," the organization said.