Olympic Gymnast Who Took Bronze After Jordan Chiles Controversy Suspended After Missing Drug Testing

Ana Bărbosu, who took home the bronze medal in the floor exercise at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after Jordan Chiles was stripped of the honor, is facing new drama.

On Thursday, May 7, the International Testing Agency (ITA) stated in a press release that Bărbosu — who moved to the United States to attend Stanford University — has committed “three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.”

According to the ITA, athletes such as Bărbosu, 19, must “provide daily whereabouts as well as a specific daily 60-minute time slot where they will be available for testing.” The purpose of this is “to allow anti-doping organisations to locate athletes for unannounced out-of-competition testing.”

Because the teenage gymnast allegedly did not provide three whereabouts, ITA said “a provisional suspension has been imposed on the athlete.”

The athlete, who is taking her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), responded on Instagram.

“I wanted to share and clarify some information that has been circulating,” she wrote in an Instagram Story posted Thursday. “As you can imagine, moving to the U.S. and starting college [at Stanford] has been a big transition.”

“Navigating through all the changes has been challenging, and I’m continuing to learn and grow through each experience,” she added. “To be clear, this situation has nothing to do with prohibited substances, and I have been grateful for the guidance and support throughout the process.”

The ITA stated that Bărbosu will have the opportunity “to present explanations and evidence regarding each of the three whereabouts failures.” The prosecution of the case is being handled by the ITA, who said that no further comments will be made.

Bărbosu gained prominence after the floor exercise event nearly two years ago in Paris. Chiles, 25, initially finished fifth with a score of 13.666.

However, Chiles’ coach submitted an inquiry after her floor routine, a standard move, and after reviewing, the judges awarded her an extra tenth of a point — moving her into third.

Team Romania then claimed the inquiry was made just seconds after the 60-second deadline, and Chiles’ original score was reinstated, moving her back to fifth place and allowing Bărbosu to take the bronze.