Simone Biles’ Netflix Doc Could Save Jordan Chiles’ Olympic Bronze

Jordan Chiles’ fight to keep her Olympic bronze medal has taken an interesting turn, with key video footage surfacing from Simone Biles’ Netflix documentary Simone Biles: Rising.

The footage, shot during the 2024 Paris Olympics, could play a major role in supporting Chiles’ appeal after she was initially stripped of the medal by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Chiles received the bronze after her coach, Cecile Landi, successfully submitted an inquiry regarding her floor exercise score. However, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation later argued that the inquiry had been submitted four seconds late, leading to CAS awarding the medal to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu.

The new video, captured by Biles’ documentary crew, shows that Landi actually requested the inquiry within the 60-second deadline, undermining the decision made by CAS. In the footage, Landi can be heard saying “inquiry for Jordan” 49 seconds after the score was posted, providing critical evidence for Chiles’ appeal.

The footage came to light after Walsh, the director of Simone Biles: Rising, texted Landi to express her condolences about the situation. Realizing the documentary crew may have captured additional footage, Landi requested access to it. Walsh then provided the video, which was shared with USA Gymnastics and Chiles’ legal team.

Chiles’ attorneys have formally appealed the CAS ruling to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, arguing that the court should have accepted the footage earlier. Additionally, there were several errors in how CAS handled communication during the original ruling, including sending critical emails to outdated addresses at USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.