Olympian faces backlash over reaction after small rule meant she missed out on final competition
An Olympian gymnast has received criticism for her reaction after missing out on the final due to a technicality.
Team USA gymnasts Simone Biles and Suni Lee took the country's spots in the all-around final with their stellar performances during qualifying on Sunday (28 July).
Unfortunately for teammate Jordan Chiles, she just missed out on a final spot after being narrowly beaten on a final uneven bars routine by Lee.
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The 23-year-old had recorded an impressive score of 14.800, meaning Lee had to record the same score or higher to reach the final - and the 2020 Olympic all-around champion did so, scoring 14.866.
It meant that Chiles finished third behind teammates Biles and Lee in their subdivision, which would ordinarily mean that she'd made the final and could start her preparations.
However, due to an Olympic rule that limits each country to two athletes in each final, she has been held out of participating.
The rule is in place to ensure that more countries are represented in event finals, but it is understandably a tough reality to accept if you're a sportsperson in Chiles' position.
Chiles has got a lot of backlash on social media following her negative reaction to the news, from analysts and fans alike.
The athlete's reaction to her teammates outstanding uneven bars routine was unfortunately caught by the cameras, as Lee and Biles became the first pair of Olympic all-around champions to compete against one another in a final.
NFL reporter Josina Anderson took to X to say: "Suni Lee deserved a better embrace from Jordan Chiles after edging Chiles for All-Around individuals.
"I understand it’s a tough pill to swallow after putting on dynamic performances herself. I also understand that sometimes all of us need more time to process before putting on a face and acknowledging present circumstances.
"Still the camera is on, and she has to maintain her usual grace and well-known charisma wherever her results land in the standings."
Fans also made their opinions known on the site, with one saying: "2 per country rule is garbage, sorry everyone on my team is better than yours? seems like a skill issue, jordan chiles should be in the all around final."
Another agreed, posting: "The 2-per-country rule is SO DUMB!! Specifically for the All-Around. Jordan Chiles is 3rd IN THE WORLD after two subdivisions but she can’t compete for the AA because of country limits.
"LET THE BEST GYMNASTS COMPETE."
But a third said: "I understand being disappointed, but Jordan Chiles was a little rude to Suni. Yikes"
Lee and Biles will compete in the all-around final on Thursday (1 August), to decide the 2024 Olympic all-around gymnastics champion.
Topics: Olympics, Simone Biles, Sport
Joshua Nair