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Aly Raisman hopes continuing to raise awareness about the Jordan Chiles medal controversy means no other gymnast will suffer through the same fate.
In an exclusive interview, six-time Olympic medalist Raisman — who spoke to Us Weekly via her partnership with EverRoot — vehemently disagreed with the decision to strip Chiles, 23, of the bronze medal she earned in the floor exercise final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I am so devastated for her,” Raisman, who competed for Team USA in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, said. “I hope that things change and she gets to keep her medal because it’s not right. It’s so disappointing to me because I feel like it goes against the integrity of the sport and of the Olympics.”
Chiles was officially stripped of her medal on August 10 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a challenge made by Team Romania, suggesting an inquiry made by Team USA into the difficulty score of Chiles’ floor routine was made four seconds after the 1-minute deadline.
Subsequently, Chiles’ bronze medal was given to Romania’s Ana Bǎrbosu.
“Jordan deserves answers as to what evidence the Court of Arbitration for Sport has,” Raisman, 30, argued. “It’s very confusing to me. It makes no sense. I don’t think Jordan should give her medal back.”
When it comes down to the nitty gritty of how everything played out, Raisman pulled out some receipts.
“There’s a designated trained official. It’s their job to keep the time,” she explained. “They are not allowed to accept the inquiry if it’s not under that minute window. They accepted the inquiry, which means that the person who’s trained to do that, they saw it was under a minute.”
Raisman continued, “From there, the judges admitted they made a mistake with the score and raised the score. I think it’s really unfair. It’s unacceptable to me.”
After returning home from Paris, Raisman has been relishing all the downtime she’s been able to spend with her beloved dog Mylo, who she adopted in October 2020.
“I don’t know who I was or what I did before Mylo,” the former gymnast said. “My friends and I always joke about that. They say they can’t even remember what I was like before him. He’s done so much for me and I can’t imagine my life without him.”
While Raisman has managed to enrich Mylo’s life exponentially, Raisman gushed about how he’s done the exact same for her.
“We could do the same thing every single day, but if I have a tennis ball or there’s a toy, every day for him is like the first time he’s experiencing something,” she said. “It’s been very eye-opening for me to see how, no matter how many times you go to the dog park, he’s always so happy. It really makes me reflect on how I can be like that in my everyday life. He’s really helped me be more present.”
To make sure Mylo is getting all the nutrition he needs, Raisman has partnered with EverRoot by Purina and their line of multi-benefit supplements.
“Wellness is such a big part of my daily routine and I want what’s best for him, too,” Raisman said. “He absolutely loves the supplements. Every day when I open up the drawer, he knows exactly what one it is. I am just always looking for ways to give him a healthier, better lifestyle.”
