Simone Biles misses gold, but adds 11th career Olympic medal in floor exercise; Jordan Chiles takes surprise bronze
(PARIS) — Simone Biles faltered in her last routine at the Paris Olympics, with a heavily wrapped left calf, but will still leave the Games with a silver medal in the floor event. Fellow American Jordan Chiles came through with a shocking bronze medal, even though celebrations had already begun with another athlete.
Biles brings her total Olympic medal count to 11 overall, including four total from the Paris Games.
In a bit of confusion after teammate Jordan Chiles’ score was first posted as only good enough for fifth place, a review led to an increase and the bronze medal. Romanian Ana Barbosu had already begun celebrating the bronze before Chiles’ adjusted score was posted.
Biles trailed Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade 14.166 who won gold.
In her final routine of the Summer Games, Biles started with a significantly higher difficulty rating than her competitors, which helped her stay in podium position after she stepped out of bounds twice and was docked 0.6 points.
The medal came just hours after Biles finished a disappointing fifth in the balance beam final due to a fall. She had been aiming to win her eighth career gold medal in that event.
The U.S. women had a sterling performance in gymnastics in the Paris Games taking home gold in the all-around team final last Tuesday, followed by a gold for Biles and a bronze for Suni Lee in the individual all-around competition on Thursday.
(NEW YORK) — U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles broke her silence over having the bronze medal she won from the floor exercise in Paris stripped by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following a challenge.
“I am overwhelmed by the love I have received over the past few days,” Chiles wrote on Instagram. “I am also incredibly grateful to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, USAG, and the USOPC for their unwavering support during this difficult time.”
She continued, “While celebrating my Olympic accomplishments, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been stripped away. I had confidence in the appeal brought by USAG, who gave conclusive evidence that my score followed all the rules. This appeal was unsuccessful.”
In discussing the unsuccessful results of the appeal, Chiles shared her disappointment.
“I have no words. This decision feels unjust and comes as a significant blow, not just to me, but to everyone who has championed my journey,” she wrote.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced on Monday it would not hear Chiles’ appeal to keep her bronze medal from the Paris Olympics despite new evidence, according to USA Gymnastics.
Initially, Chiles finished fifth in the individual floor exercise at last week’s Games, only to be moved up to the bronze medal spot when her coaches appealed the scoring of one of the elements in her routine. She jumped from fifth to third, leaping over two Romanian gymnasts — including Ana Barbosu, who had already begun celebrating bronze.
The International Gymnastics Federation awarded Barbosu third place after the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided the appeal made by Chiles’ coach at the event, with CAS saying Chiles’ score was “raised after the conclusion of the one-minute deadline.” In saying the challenge came too late, the CAS reinstated the incorrect 13.666 score.
Chiles also noted Thursday that since the appeal process, she has received hurtful messages online.
“To add to the heartbreak, the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country,” she wrote.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE New York Mets 7, Boston Red Sox 2 Philadelphia Phillies 10, Toronto Blue Jays 9 Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Los Angeles Angels 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE Tampa Bay Rays 2, Minnesota Twins 1 Baltimore Orioles 9, Chicago White Sox 0 Cleveland Guardians 7, Kansas City Royals 1 Texas Rangers 7, New York Yankees 4 Seattle Mariners 2, Oakland A’s 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE Washington Nationals 6, Miami Marlins 2 Atlanta Braves 3, Colorado Rockies 0 Pittsburgh Pirates 5, Chicago Cubs 0 St. Louis Cardinals 7, Milwaukee Brewers 4 Arizona Diamondbacks 8, San Francisco Giants 7
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Seattle Storm 71, Connecticut Sun 64 Washington Mystics 90, Dallas Wings 86 Atlanta Dream 66, Phoenix Mercury 74 Chicago Sky 71, Las Vegas Aces 90
(LONDON) — Noah Lyles’ characteristically exuberant walkout for Thursday’s 200-meter final gave little indication that the American sprinter was among the dozens of athletes who have tested positive for COVID or other respiratory illnesses.
But within minutes, the track star was being pushed from the stadium in a wheelchair, in visible discomfort following his bronze medal-winning performance.
“I believe this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics,” Lyles wrote soon after on his Instagram page.
Lyles is the latest athlete to test positive for COVID-19 at an Olympic Games that has almost entirely done away with the strict health guidance that shaped the Tokyo 2020 games, which itself was delayed by a year due to the pandemic.
In Paris, there are no prohibitions on competitors or spectators who have tested positive for the virus.
The Paris Games is being lauded as an Olympic return to form, the City of Light’s venues packed with excited spectators — among them athletes’ friends and families, many of whom were unable to travel to Tokyo.
But the collective joy is coming at a cost.
British swimmer Adam Peaty, Australian swimmers Lani Pallister and Zac Stubblety-Cook, and German decathlete Manuel Eitel are among at least 40 athletes that had tested positive for COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses as of Tuesday, according to the World Health Organization’s event-based surveillance system, which collates reports from media and other verified sources.
The Paris Games’ 182-page media handbook contains no mention of COVID-19. The event’s online guidance for spectators directs visitors to the Interior Ministry’s website, which notes that the nation now exempts all travelers from any COVID-related “formalities prior to entry into France.”
A Paris 2024 spokesperson told ABC News: “We are closely monitoring the health situation in conjunction with the Ministry of Health.”
“We regularly remind athletes, and all stakeholders at the Games, of the best practices to follow in the event of respiratory symptoms: wear a mask in the presence of others, limit contact and wash your hands regularly with soap and water or hydroalcoholic gel,” the spokesperson said.
“All National Olympic Committees and International Federations are also free to implement additional measures for their athletes or competitions,” the spokesperson added.
COVID cases are rising in the U.S. and elsewhere, an uptick at least partially attributed to the new “FLiRT” variation of the virus.
Long COVID — an umbrella term referring to a raft of chronic conditions related to COVID infection — also still poses a significant problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in March that 6.8% of American adults said they were living with long COVID symptoms, which vary in severity and can include difficulty concentrating, recurring headaches, changes in memory, and persistent fatigue.
Lyles’ high-profile struggles on Thursday have prompted fresh questions for organizers and athletes, not least as the American sprinter had been hugging fellow athletes despite knowing of his positive test.
USA Track & Field told ABC News in a statement on Friday that it and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee “swiftly enacted all necessary protocols” to prioritize Lyles’ health following his positive COVID test, as well as the “wellbeing of our team, and the safety of fellow competitors.”
“Our primary commitment is to ensure the safety of Team USA athletes while upholding their right to compete,” it added. “After a thorough medical evaluation, Noah chose to compete tonight. We respect his decision and will continue to monitor his condition closely.”
“As an organization, we are rigorously adhering to CDC, USOPC, and IOC guidelines for respiratory illnesses to prevent the spread of illness among team members, safeguarding their health and performance,” it said.
Kenneth Bednarek, the American who won the silver medal in the 200-meter contest, downplayed the danger, telling reporters at a press conference after the race: “I don’t think I was put at risk at all.”
“I take care of my body,” Bednarek added. “So when it comes to getting sick, that’s rare for me. So, I mean, when I found out it wasn’t that big of a deal.”