It was the inquiry heard around the world — after a phenomenal floor routine on the final day of women's artistic gymnastics competition at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, Jordan Chiles walked away with her first ever individual Olympic medal.
After initially scoring a 13.666 on her performance, and placing fifth after the full rotation, the 23-year-old's coach Cecile Landi filed an inquiry with the judges.
It was revealed that they had neglected to count a last-minute tour jeté full that she had added to her routine, which bumped her difficulty score from a 5.800 to a 5.900, pushing her overall score to 13.766 and winning her the bronze over Romania's Ana Bărbosu, who scored a 13.700.
However, there's more of a cost to an inquiry into an athlete's score than you'd think, specifically in gymnastics, and it can prove to be an expensive gamble if it goes awry.
Per the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), a gymnast's coach is required to pay 300 Francs (about $350) for an inquiry into their score. If the request proves to be fruitful and their score rises (as it did for Jordan), they are returned the fee.
© Getty ImagesHowever, if their score remains unchanged or is actually lowered (since this means the judges get to rewatch and review the performance clip, leading to potential other mistakes being spotted), they pay up.
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The financial toll doesn't stop there, however. For a second appeal, the cost rises to $590, and every subsequent appeal thereafter then costs a hefty $1180. The process already proved to be an expensive one for the Team U.S.A.'s men's gymnastics team, which had to pay $895.27 for losing two inquiries, confirmed by USA Gymnastics spokesperson Jill Geer per Yahoo! Sports.
© Getty ImagesGenerally, an appeal is submitted immediately after the gymnast's score is displayed to the judges, first vocally and then in writing, and is intended to be completely tied up before the rotation ends, or the turn of the following gymnast.
However, in Jordan's case, the inquiry needed to be submitted rapidly, given she was the last athlete of the day and if they waited too long, her 13.666 would be upheld as her final score and she would end in fifth place.
© Getty ImagesHer coach had one minute after her score showed to make the appeal, and then three minutes after for the written inquiry to be submitted to the judges. The gamble ultimately paid off, and Jordan walked away with her coveted medal.
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"At this point, we had nothing to lose, so I was like 'We're just going to try," Cecile Landi told press at the Games of the inquiry. "I honestly didn't think it was going to happen but when I heard her scream, I turned around and was like 'What?'"
© Getty ImagesThe gymnast, who was also part of the Tokyo 2021 team that won the Team silver medal, now has one of each kind of Olympic medal in her bag, boasting the Team gold that the "Golden Girls" won days earlier.
