Jordan Chiles and Ana Barbosu share unexpected moment at UCLA meet as Olympic bronze medal dispute still awaits decision

Jordan Chiles and Ana Barbosu met again on the gymnastics floor, but this time the moment felt very different. The two athletes were once at the center of the controversial bronze medal drama at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yet when they faced each other during an NCAA meet, Jordan Chiles showed a reaction that surprised many fans. The moment happened on March 7, 2026, when the No. 5 UCLA Bruins hosted the No. 10 Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. A crowd of 6,834 fans watched the meet live. While the competition itself was exciting, one small moment between Chiles and Barbosu quickly caught everyone’s attention.

During Stanford’s floor routine, Ana Barbosu stepped onto the mat to perform. As she began her routine, cameras showed Jordan Chiles standing nearby. Instead of ignoring her rival, Chiles raised her hands in the air and clapped loudly while watching the performance. Even more surprising, she appeared to know Barbosu’s choreography and was moving along with it while cheering. The commentator on the broadcast pointed it out clearly. “And what you can see in the background is, Jordan Chiles knows her choreography. She’s doing it along with watching every second of this routine.”

Jordan Chiles and Ana Barbosu show respect at NCAA meet while 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medal case still awaits decision

The friendly moment between Jordan Chiles and Ana Barbosu stood out even more because of their complicated Olympic history. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the women’s floor exercise final created huge debate. Ana Barbosu originally finished third and believed she had won the bronze medal. Jordan Chiles was placed fifth. However, Chiles’ coach asked for a scoring inquiry about the difficulty level of one of her skills. Officials accepted the review and increased her score. That change moved Chiles into third place and pushed Barbosu out of the bronze medal position.

Soon after, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). They argued that the inquiry was submitted after the one-minute deadline. CAS agreed with Romania’s claim and restored Ana Barbosu as the bronze medalist. That ruling removed Jordan Chiles from the podium.

But the story did not end there. In January 2026, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court allowed part of an appeal from Chiles’ side. The court said new video evidence suggested the scoring inquiry might have been submitted on time. Because of that finding, the case was sent back to CAS for another review.

For now, the earlier decision no longer has legal effect, and the final medal result is still unclear. Despite this ongoing dispute, both gymnasts showed respect for each other during the NCAA meet. Chiles played a big role in UCLA’s performance that night. She scored a perfect 10 on uneven bars and also won the all-around title with 39.700.

Barbosu also delivered strong routines for Stanford. She scored 9.900 on balance beam and 9.875 on uneven bars, helping her team stay competitive. Even Barbosu’s family joined the supportive atmosphere. During Chiles’ floor routine, viewers noticed that Barbosu’s mother was filming and clapping for the UCLA gymnast.

Both athletes have spoken kindly about each other before as well. After the Olympic controversy began, Barbosu said, “Sabrina, Jordan, my thoughts are with you. I know what you are feeling, because I’ve been through the same. But I know you’ll come back stronger.” Chiles also praised her rival earlier, saying, “Ana Barbosu, she’s an amazing athlete. She’s done amazing things within her gymnastics as well.”

For now, the legal battle over the Olympic bronze medal continues. But on the NCAA stage, Jordan Chiles and Ana Barbosu showed that respect and sportsmanship can still come first.





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