The Romanian gymnast regained bronze thanks to a four-second difference. What happened?

On Monday, August 5, the final of the artistic gymnastics floor exercise competition took place, with the legendary Simone Biles of the United States claiming victory. Brazil's Rebeca Andrade won the silver medal, but there was a small controversy regarding the bronze.

After the performance of Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu, who initially moved into third place, the American team filed an appeal against the score of Jordan Chiles, which elevated Bărbosu from fifth to third. The judges promptly accepted the appeal, which resulted in Bărbosu being relegated to fourth place, and the bronze medal was awarded to Jordan Chiles.

Subsequently, Bărbosu, along with the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), citing a breach of the rules regarding the timing of contesting results. Today, CAS announced its decision in favor of Bărbosu.

The crux of the matter was that, according to competition regulations, an appeal must be submitted no later than one minute after the conclusion of the performances. The American team missed this deadline by four seconds.

As a result, Bărbosu's appeal was upheld, and she was awarded her bronze medal, while the U.S. lost theirs.

This decision also diminishes the significance of one of the most iconic photos of the Olympics, where American gymnastics legend Simone Biles and her compatriot Jordan Chiles playfully pretended to "surrender" to silver medalist Rebeca Andrade.

Currently, the United States holds the second position in the overall Olympic medal standings, while Romania ranks 23rd.