Jordan Chiles may not have the Olympic bronze title, but she does have the support of her fans, including Flavor Flav. On Wednesday night during the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, the rapper, who’s known for his exaggerated clock chains, surprised Chiles with her own bedazzled bronze clock chain.
“I just want to turn this into a little Olympic moment for a second, if you don’t mind,” Flav said onstage as the two prepared to present the award for Best Collaboration. “I know they tried to take your medal away. But you know what? I got you something that they can’t take away from you.”
Speechless by the rapper’s generous gesture, Chiles was further surprised when Flavor Flav revealed that he would also be gifting her the prize money she would have received with the Olympic title.
This summer, the Team USA gymnast captivated viewers with her charisma and talent at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, Chiles took a “significant blow” when Team Romania contested her bronze medal win, arguing that it should be awarded to her competitor, Ana Barbosu. With the committee ultimately granting the appeal, Chiles was forced to return the medal as the Olympic title was reallocated to Barbosu.
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Beyond the decision feeling “unjust,” Chiles says “the unprompted racially driven attacks on social media” that followed the situation were especially heartbreaking. In her first interview since the appeal decision, the Team USA gymnast opened up about how the situation made her feel.
“The biggest thing that was taken from me was that it was the recognition of who I was. Not just my sport but the person I am. To me, everything that has gone on is not about the medal, it’s about my skin color,” she said during the Forbes Power Women’s Summit. “I felt like when I was back in 2018 where I did lose the love of the sport, I lost it again. I felt like I was really left in the dark.”
Despite an outpouring of support on social media, Chiles admitted it was initially “really hard to truly see all the love and support” as she navigated her emotions about the committee’s decision.
“I can feel it now, but at first it was really hard to really take that in because of how badly my heart was broken,” Chiles explained. “Everything did go so quickly. But I do appreciate every single person that has been able to come out and say what they needed to say, whether it was through social media…through news outlets…[or] just people texting me. I do appreciate it so much and I don’t think I could be where I am right now sitting up here talking to everybody. If it wasn’t for everyone being right by my side and really recognizing what the right thing is.”
