PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 05: Ana Barbosu of Romania walks into the arena before the floor final on day … [+] ten of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 05, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
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Ana Barbosu’s and Jordan Chiles’ heart-wrenching fight for an Olympic bronze medal dominated the news cycle in August. Today, the two gymnasts learned that they will likely cross paths again – this time, in NCAA Women’s Gymnastics.
Early Wednesday morning, Barbosu announced her surprise commitment to Stanford University, joining the surging Stanford Women’s Gymnastics team for the 2026 season. While the Cardinals celebrate their huge commitment after a historic 5th place finished in 2024, just around 300 miles away, Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles trains for the UCLA Bruins Gymnastics team.
Barbosu’s commitment comes as a shock to the gymnastics community, as she is only the second Romanian elite to join an NCAA program (following Lilia Cosman’s commitment to Michigan State). Ana’s announcement, however, is historic. When she joins Stanford in 2026, she will represent the first non-American individual Olympic medalist to compete in NCAA Women’s Gymnastics.
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What Happened In Paris?
Back in August, Barbosu catapulted into the spotlight as Romania’s first Olympic Gymnastics medalist since 2012. However, her medal remains one of the most highly contested results in gymnastics history. Though Barbosu is officially recognized as the Olympic bronze medalist on floor exercise, the title once belonged to Jordan Chiles.
Jordan Chiles, of the United States, reacts to seeing she won the bronze medal during the women’s … [+] artistic gymnastics individual floor finals at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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On August 4, 2024, Ana Barbosu won a bronze medal – the first for Romania in more than a decade. She took to the podium, Romanian flag in hand, grinning ear-to-ear. Just minutes later, she was devastated. The bronze had been awarded to Jordan Chiles due to a last-minute inquiry that increased Chiles’ difficulty score. Chiles and her camp erupted while Barbosu sobbed. The medal ceremony commenced, awarding gold to Rebeca Andrade (BRA), silver to Simone Biles (USA), and bronze to Chiles. For a few days, the matter appeared resolved.
However, 11 days after the Olympic floor final, Ana Barbosu was awarded the bronze medal by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had ruled that Jordan’s last-minute inquiry on competition day was four seconds late. Therefore, it was retroactively denied and Chiles’ score dropped to 5th overall. This time, elation to Barbosu, devastation to Chiles.
In the months following, Chiles’ personal legal team filed a formal appeal with the Swiss Federal Tribunal to “overturn an earlier ruling” by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Her team argues that the CAS ruling was “procedurally deficient” (USA Today). While the legal battle is ongoing with the Swiss high court (and likely to be prolonged), Chiles reflected in November on the impact of the controversy. “I can only control what my truth is, and I know what the truth is, and I know that we were right in everything that we were doing.”
Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu poses with her Olympic bronze medal she was given on August 16, … [+] 2024 in Bucharest, Romania, after a gymnast from the US was stripped of it. Barbosu was awarded the Olympic floor exercise bronze medal originally given to Jordan Chiles, following a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC decision followed a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling which cancelled the re-evaluation of Chiles’ score on the grounds that the appeal of her degree of difficulty was lodged by the US team four seconds after the regulatory deadline, set at one minute. (Photo by Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP via Getty Images)
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Though the battle was fierce – sometimes hateful – between the U.S. and Romanian federations and fans, Barbosu has only been empathetic. “I can’t help but think about Sabrina and Jordan right now,” the 18 year-old said upon receiving her medal. “It’s a difficult situation for us, with so many uncertainties and overwhelming emotions,” she continued. “I want to believe that the day will come when all three of us will receive a bronze medal each.”
As a member of the 2029 recruiting class, Barbosu’s freshman season is likely to overlap with Chiles’ senior year at UCLA. Though their California-based programs now compete in separate conferences (Big Ten and ACC), the two Olympians are sure to make significant impacts on the national stage. While fans wait in anticipation of a potential rematch between the two “bronze medalists,” one can only imagine that the two athletes will handle the circumstances with their trademark sportsmanship.
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