Romanians appeal gymnast’s score after inquiry drama in floor exercise final at Olympics

PARIS (AP) — The Romanian Olympic Committee says it has appealed Sabrina Maneca-Voinea’s score from the floor exercise final at the Paris Games after a last-minute inquiry on behalf of American rival Jordan Chiles prompted heartbreak and rage from the former gymnastics powerhouse.

Maneca-Voinea and Romanian teammate Ana Barbosu were left outside the medals in Monday’s floor final after finishing with matching scores of 13.700. Barbosu thought she had won bronze over Maneca-Voinea via a tiebreaker — a higher execution score — and began celebrating with a Romanian flag.

Chiles was the last athlete to compete and initially was given a score that put her in fifth place, right behind Maneca-Voinea. Chiles’ coaches called for an inquiry on her score, and after a review, judges boosted Chiles’ total by 0.1. That was enough to leapfrog Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea for the last spot on the podium.

Maneca-Voinea was given a 0.1 deduction for stepping out of bounds during her routine, but replays showed she narrowly kept her heel inbounds during the moment in question.

The Romanian Olympic Committee said its president, Mihai Covaliu, wrote a letter of protest to the International Gymnastics Federation asking it to reconsider Maneca-Voinea’s score, saying an initial challenge was rejected.

“The way in which the score was assessed and the refusal to present the full reasons/proofs for the rejection of the appeal submitted within the time limit set by the rules seriously harms the image of international gymnastics, but in particular affects the athlete, even jeopardizing their mental health,” Covaliu said.

The gymnastics federation did not immediately confirm whether Romania had indeed appealed and if it would hear that appeal. It’s unclear when the Romanians made the initial challenge.

Meanwhile, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation said it has submitted requests to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. It said one of them is linked to the inquiry submitted by Chiles’ coaches.

“Aware of the negative impact on Ana Maria Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation aims to correct the mistakes made by the judges and to restore the rights of our athletes,” the federation said.

The results of the floor exercise have caused an uproar in Romania.

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said Tuesday he will boycott the closing ceremony because of the “scandalous situation.” Ciolacu promised Romania would honor Barbosu and Maneca-Voinea as Olympic medalists, “including in terms of the prizes.”

Romanian gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci also lashed out after the event, writing on X, “I can’t believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this.”

Barbosu was standing on the floor when she looked up and saw the scoring change on the video board following the inquiry. She brought her hands to her face and walked off in tears.

Inquiries are a standard part of gymnastics competitions, with athletes or coaches asking judges to review a routine to ensure elements are rated properly. Scores can be adjusted up or down based on an inquiry.

Romania was a longtime superpower in gymnastics, but Barbosu’s initial result would have been the women’s program’s first Olympic medal since the 2012 London Games.

Rebeca Andrade of Brazil won gold and Chiles’ teammate, Simone Biles, took silver in the floor final, the last event of the Olympic gymnastics slate.

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Stephen McGrath in Sighisoara, Romania, contributed to this report.

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AP Olympics: https://ift.tt/Of7l2sI

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