Jordan Chiles shared that her “heart was broken” when she lost her Olympic bronze medal due to errors made by gymnastics officials, stating that she will keep fighting to get her rightful recognition.

During her appearance at the Forbes Power Women’s Summit on Wednesday, Chiles reflected on how the last five weeks have impacted her emotionally.

“The most significant thing taken from me was,” Chiles said, taking a moment to compose herself, “the acknowledgment of who I am. This isn’t just about my sport; it’s about my identity as a person.”

“It’s not simply about the medal,” she continued. “It’s also about the implications of my race, and the journey that led me to become an athlete. It felt like everything was stripped away. I was again back in 2018 when I lost my passion for the sport.”

Initially, Chiles secured fifth place in the floor final on August 5, scoring 13.666, falling behind Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea. (Both Romanian gymnasts scored 13.7 but Barbosu had a superior execution score, placing her higher.) However, Chiles’ personal coach, Cecile Landi, contested her difficulty score, asserting Chiles had not received adequate credit for a specific leap known as a tour jete.

A review panel upheld the appeal, adding an extra 0.100 to Chiles’ score, promoting her to third place, surpassing both Romanian athletes.

However, Romania filed an appeal regarding the timing of Chiles’ inquiry. On the final day of the Paris Games, six days after the event concluded, the International Gymnastics Federation announced the reordering of the floor exercise results based on the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that Chiles’ score inquiry had been submitted late.

Subsequently, the International Olympic Committee recognized Barbosu of Romania as the bronze medalist.

USA Gymnastics revealed that videos discovered after the CAS ruling showed Landi actually made the inquiry on time. Yet, CAS stated that they couldn’t consider this new evidence retrospectively.

While it’s not uncommon for medals to be reassigned, it rarely occurs because of other individuals’ mistakes. Both USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee have consistently stood by Chiles and announced intentions to appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.

“I adhered to the rules. My coach adhered to the rules. We did everything correctly,” Chiles remarked.

The FIG acknowledged during the CAS hearing that there were no systems in place to clearly indicate whether verbal appeals were submitted on time. The official timing system for the Olympics, Omega, had this crucial data, but it was not integrated with FIG’s system or communicated to the appeal panel.

The FIG also conceded that they approved Chiles’ appeal under the belief that it was submitted on time.

This incident has not only marred a significant achievement in her career — the floor bronze was Chiles’ first individual medal from two Olympic appearances — but it has also subjected her to online bullying, much of which has been racially charged.

“It really has been challenging to wholly embrace all the support and love,” Chiles expressed. “Looking out and seeing everyone, I can feel it now. But initially, it was tough to absorb that love due to the depth of my heartbreak.”

“I truly appreciate everyone who spoke up for me, whether through social media, news platforms, or private messages,” she added.

Chiles’ bronze medal moment was one of the most uplifting and viral highlights of the Paris Olympics, featuring three Black gymnasts on the podium for the first time, with Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade claiming gold and Simone Biles winning silver.

As Andrade received her gold medal, Chiles and Biles bowed in acknowledgment. The International Olympic Committee even posted an image of this moment, captioning it, “This is everything.”

“It’s not finished yet,” Chiles stated. “Because for me, this is not merely about the medal. It’s about finding my peace and achieving justice.”