Chiles Stripped of Bronze Medal in Gymnastics
In a surprising turn of events, American gymnast Jordan Chiles has been stripped of her bronze medal in the floor exercise. Initially, Chiles had placed third after her coach submitted a scoring inquiry that resulted in a .100 increase in her score. However, Romania’s Ana Maria Bărbosu filed an appeal, arguing that Chiles’ coach submitted the inquiry four seconds past the deadline. The Court of Arbitration for Sport agreed with Bărbosu’s appeal and reinstated Chiles’ original score, pushing her down to fifth place.
This incident has been described as an entirely avoidable comedy of errors. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee plans to appeal the decision, but it remains to be seen if they will be successful in reclaiming Chiles’ bronze medal.
Michigan’s Ongoing NCAA Issues
The ongoing sign-stealing scandal at the University of Michigan has attracted attention, even almost a year after it first came to light. The former coach, Jim Harbaugh, recently received a four-year NCAA sanction for separate recruiting violations. The question arises: do these penalties actually matter?
Austin Meek, a Michigan writer, provides some insight into the situation. He suggests that a postseason ban would be the most detrimental consequence for the football program and the new coach, Sherrone Moore. However, he believes that long-term ramifications are unlikely unless the team performs poorly on the field. Meek also notes that locally, there seems to be a sense of indifference among Michigan fans who have been anticipating NCAA penalties for months.
The Olympic Games’ Final Day Highlights
As the Olympic Games come to a close, there are still some exciting events to watch on the final day. The women’s volleyball gold medal match between the U.S. and Italy will be broadcast at 7 a.m. ET, followed by the women’s basketball gold medal game between the U.S. and France at 9:30 a.m. ET. The closing ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. ET.
In terms of the overall medal count, the United States continues to lead with 122 medals, followed by China with 90 and Britain with 63.
Pulse Picks: Interesting Sports Stories
Susannah Hainley provides a fun and illustrated perspective on experiencing the Paris Games as both an Olympic tourist and a temporary Parisian local. Meanwhile, Stefon Diggs seems to have moved on from his messy breakup with the Buffalo Bills, as he is thriving as the Houston Texans’ new No. 1 receiver.
Jayson Stark’s Weird and Wild column highlights an unusual and impressive stat from Aaron Judge, while Jon Greenberg discusses the positive separation between the Chicago White Sox and former manager Pedro Grifol. Additionally, Fluto Shinzawa explores the sleep hacks employed by NHL players, and Ray Orr shares her favorite photo from each Olympic sport.
Readers have been particularly drawn to David Aldridge’s dispatch on the U.S. men’s basketball team’s improved defense in their semifinal win against Serbia, as well as the live blog of the U.S.-France men’s basketball game.