The women’s gymnastics floor final at the 2024 Olympics ended in dramatic fashion with U.S. star Jordan Chiles receiving an unexpected score shift that changed everything.
The competition was over and it had appeared Chiles was out of medal contention, sitting in fifth place with a score of 13.666.
But just as fans were expecting a podium celebration that would see Simone Biles, who scored a silver medal in the event, as the only American on it, Chiles was seen jumping in the air.
Simone Biles added four Olympic medals to her collection with her performances in Paris. Here’s a look at how she got each one.
“I was the first one to see … I was like jumping up and down,” Chiles, who lost her voice while cheering and screaming, told reporters after the event.
Team USA had submitted an inquiry on Chiles’ score, which was then reviewed by the judges and, in an unexpected move, her score was adjusted.
Chiles now sat at 13.766 — which was just barely enough to put her at bronze.
So what changed exactly and how does it work?
What is an inquiry in gymnastics?
A gymnast can make a verbal challenge, called an inquiry, to the judges after their routine. The verbal inquiry must be followed by a written inquiry and can only occur after the gymnast’s final score has been posted.
Scores can be raised, lowered or remain the same based on the inquiry.
Both were the case during the floor final at the Olympics. Team Romania filed an inquiry for Sabrina Maneca-Voinea’s score, but it remained unchanged.
What happened with Chiles’ score?
Chiles — the last competitor of the day — initially received a 13.666 from judges. After some delay, her total was boosted by 0.1 following an inquiry about her difficulty score.
The challenge involved her Tour Jete Full, one of the elements of her routine, which Team USA felt was not properly scored. Chiles didn’t get credit for the move in both qualifications and the team final.
The judges agreed and the decision pushed Chiles past Romanians Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea and into third.
“They had told me when they [filed the inquiry] and I was like, ‘OK let’s see what they come back with,'” Chiles said.
But she didn’t expect to see a big change.
“I honestly didn’t expect this like whatsoever,” she said.
How gymnastics judging and scoring works
Nine judges are chosen to score each Olympics gymnastics event. Those judges are broken into three groups: the D panel (difficulty score), E panel (execution score) and reference panel.
Difficulty score
The D panel is made up of two judges who determine the difficulty score.
Both judges record their difficulty score, accounting for the eight most difficult skills — including dismount — for women and 10 most difficult skills for men. The D panel judges compare scores and determine the routine’s difficulty score.
Vault is the only apparatus that has a predetermined difficulty score, which is displayed to the judges before the gymnast begins their vault.
Execution score
The E panel has five judges who determine the execution score. The execution score starts at 10.0 and the E panel makes deductions for errors during the routine. Deductions range in value from 0.1 to 1.0.
The five judges each record their own execution score for the routine. The top and bottom scores are dropped and the three remaining scores are averaged out to determine a final execution score.
Neutral deductions
Certain errors such as time violations, stepping out of bounds, behavior faults and falls are penalized as neutral deductions.
Inquiries
A gymnast can make a verbal challenge, called an inquiry, to the judges after their routine. The verbal inquiry must be followed by a written inquiry and can only occur after the gymnast’s final score has been posted.
Scores can be raised, lowered or remain the same based on the inquiry.
Code of Points
The Code of Points defines the scoring system for each level of gymnastics competitions.
Different gymnastics levels, disciplines and countries have their own codes. The International Gymnastics Federations sets the Code of Points for the top level of the sport, including the Paris Olympics.
Each athlete is awarded both and execution and difficulty score following their routines.
What is a perfect score in gymnastics?
According to NBC Olympics, there is no more “Perfect 10” in gymnastics, but gymnasts can still reach a perfect score — there is just no number associated with it.
“Now, a perfect score for a gymnast would be receiving no deductions from the judges, while also completing their planned routine with full difficulty. Under the open-ended scoring system, no gymnast has received a perfect score,” NBC Olympics reported.
How gymnastics event final scoring works
The top eight gymnasts on each apparatus in qualifying advance to the respective apparatus final. No scores carry over from qualifying and the starting order for an apparatus final is determined by a random draw.
Each gymnast gets one attempt on an apparatus in the event final, with the exception of vault. Gymnasts in the women’s and men’s vault finals must perform two different vaults from two different vault groups. The average score of the two vaults is then averaged out to give a final apparatus score.