Jordan Chiles floor routine score, explained: Why late inquiry gave USA star bronze medal over Romania's Ana Barbosu

Bryan Murphy

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Jordan Chiles floor routine score, explained: Why late inquiry gave USA star bronze medal over Romania's Ana Barbosu image

When Jordan Chiles first looked up at her score for the floor routine final, it appeared as though she missed a spot on the podium. Her initial score placed her in fifth, and the American was hit with the realization that she lost out on a medal. 

Then an inquiry came — and it sent Chiles into jubilation. 

A late score change to the American gymnast's routine saw her placement leap up from fifth to third, surpassing Romania's Ana Barbosu for the final spot on the podium. 

It was Chiles' second medal in Paris and first-ever Olympic individual gold medal, adding to her gold medal that she won in the women's team all-around event. 

"This is just a dream come true," Chiles said of the bronze medal. "It was a redemption tour, I just wanted to come out and do the best I could. I have no words."

"... I honestly didn't expect this whatsoever. I'm just very proud of myself."

Brazil's Rebecca Andrade won gold, while Chiles' teammate Simone Biles earned a silver. 

Why was it that Chiles' score changed? Here is more on the inquiry and how she won the bronze. 

MORE: Women's floor and beam gymnastics final results

What was Jordan Chiles' floor routine score?

Chiles initially earned a score of 13.666, which was good for fifth, It appeared as though she would miss out on a chance to win a medal in her final event of the 2024 Olympics. 

However, after the inquiry, her score was altered to 13.766, moving her into third place and allowing her to win the bronze medal. 

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Jordan Chiles inquiry

Former Olympian Laurie Hernandez explained on the NBC broadcast that initially, the judges gave one of Chiles' leaps a C value, which in gymnastics scoring, gave her 0.30 points to her score.

The broadcast explained that Chiles' team felt that the leap was not scored properly and they figured they did not have anything to lose by submitting the inquiry. The judges accepted it and then ended up making the change to the score. 

It was determined that Chiles earned a D value on the leap, which is worth 0.40 points. That 0.10 change in points was the difference between fifth place and third, and it allowed Chiles to leapfrog over Barbosu and Romania's Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. 

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What is an inquiry in gymnastics?

In gymnastics, a gymnast and/or their team can challenge the score given by the judges. This is referred to as an inquiry.

Initially, there is a verbal challenge followed by a written inquiry. There must be a specific reason listed as to why the score is being challenged — a gymnast cannot submit an inquiry if they do not like the score. It is up to the judges to accept the inquiry, and then review it. 

The inquiry must be submitted between the time the gymnast's final score is posted and before the end of the next gymnast's exercise. 

Once an inquiry is accepted, the score can be increased, decreased or stay the same. 

Jordan Chiles floor routine video

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.