Aug. 5 (UPI) — In a storybook ending Monday to the women’s floor finals at the Paris Olympics, American Jordan Chiles won the bronze medal after seemingly finishing fourth — and then being elevated to third place after the judges had posted her initial score.
Chiles edged out Ana Barbosu of Romania by. 066 point after the judges reviewed her floor routine and boosted he score based on the way she performed one of her leaps.
When she learned that she had now learned a medal, Chiles jumped up and down, let out a scream in disbelief and hugged her coach. Teammate Simone Biles, who won a silver medal for second place, ran over to give another hug.
Rebeca Andrade of Brazil won gold with a score of 14.166, with Biles of the United States capturing the silver with a 14.133 score.
Biles, who appeared to be performing with a bruised calf, lost fractional points for stepping out of bounds several times during her routine.
“This is a dream come true,” Chiles said after the podium ceremony. I really didn’t expect this to happen. I’m very proud of myself. Being part of this team is amazing “
For Chiles, it was her second gold, the other coming in the team finals last week.
Biles, who appeared much more serious before the floor exercise than she had in previous events in France, did not express disappointment with not winning the gold, and she praised Andrade, a frequent competitor on the world stage.
“I have so much respect for her,” Biles said. “I consider it an honor to compete with her.”
Asked what was immediately next for her, Biles candidly admitted “nothing.” She said she simply planned to relax.
