Is Jordan Chiles salty about Suni Lee’s success? Here’s why the gymnast is under attack

PARIS, FRANCE: Gymnast Jordan Chiles is accused of resenting her teammate Suni Lee’s success after the Washington native missed out on the top two spots in the women's all-around final.

Only two places were available during the qualifying competitions, as the Olympic Committee limited the participation of two athletes from one country in the individual all-around final. However, three candidates were competing for the top two places.

With Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles, it was evident that one would have to relinquish their claim to the spot. When Biles and Lee qualified, Chiles was unfortunately left behind. 

While it was heartbreaking to watch her lose, viewers who watched the qualifying round noticed her reaction and deemed it not warm enough.

Jordan Chiles is accused of being too salty after Suni Lee's success

As the three athletes were competing for two of Team USA’s spots in the all-around final, the final qualifying round had to be held on the uneven bars. After Biles qualified, it was on between Lee and Chiles. When Lee finally took the stage, she needed to score 14.800 or better to pass Chiles.

After Lee scored 14.866 and attained the second and last spot, Chiles was disqualified from getting a chance at the final. 

However, soon after the round, the former UCLA athlete’s reactions were caught on camera. Her reactions were recorded on the camera when she learned that it was Lee who qualified and not her. 

However, she did embrace Lee in the moment afterward and also made a TikTok with her fellow athlete. 

Nevertheless, her fleet-second reaction earned the censure of several internet critics, with journalist and sports podcaster Josina Anderson saying, “Suni Lee deserved a better embrace from Jordan Chiles after edging Chiles for All-Around individuals. I understand it’s a tough pill to swallow after putting on dynamic performances herself," per AS.

However, some fans defended Chile's reaction, saying that she had behaved exactly as an athlete should. Not only had she posed happily with Lee, but she had behaved gracefully after her personal devastating loss.

Jordan Chiles' fans rush to her defense

Fans online, however, defended Jordan Chiles and her lightning-fast reaction to the result. Some of the fans even claimed that Jordan's reaction was perfectly fine given the intense stress of the situation.

One of the social media users said, "She quite literally made a happy dancing tik tok with Suni immediately after they left the arena and posted it, she congratulated her, they’re besties and I’m sure they aren’t overanalyzing like this, Jo was upset and needed a moment, you’re acting as if she threw a tantrum."

Someone else said, "She was busy making tiktoks with Suni like 4 minutes later. Her sportsmanship is fine."

Another fan defended her, "Ah, she deserved to feel exactly how she was feeling. She didn't shun the embrace, but like everyone else she worked for that moment and in that moment she was disappointed. She shouldn't have to hide behind a mask because the cameras are in her face."

"Let’s normalize letting people cope with emotions how they must. She was on Tik tok with Jordan an hour after competing and the two were seemingly besties again," noted another fan.

Someone else slammed Anderson, saying, "This post is 100% a "tell me you don't follow gymnastics" post. Jordan is famous for being the team's hype woman and she is always cheering everyone else on with all her heart. Her sportsmanship cannot be questioned."

"Highly disagree. these athletes work their entire lives for one moment. getting beat by only .067 after years and years of blood sweat and tears … it’s disappointing. to be so close … do not shame anyone for how they process decades of dedication to their craft at the moment of their defeat," said another.

A social media user said, "Bad take. It was an individual round. It's comparable to losing a semifinals game and shaking hands but not jumping up and down because your friend won and you lost. She handled the moment fine in the moment."

Another netizen fired back, "She’s not a show pony to perform for the cameras. she and suni were posting fun tiktoks immediately after the competition finished. have we really learned nothing about showing these athletes grace at their lowest moments?" 

Why is Jordan Chiles not competing in women's all-around gymnastics final?

Jordan Chiles will likely be sitting in the reserve for the all-around gymnastics final because of an Olympic rule that allows only two candidates from each country to participate. 

During the Olympics women's gymnastics qualifying on Sunday, Jordan Chiles had the fourth-best score. 

With Simone Biles topping the table with 59.566 points, Brazil's Rebeca Andrade finished second with a score of 57.700, per NBC.

However, Suni Lee scored 56.132 which made her third-placed. Chiles, on the other hand, came in fourth with an all-around score of 56.065.

Though the top 24 competitors are eligible to compete in the all-around final, Chiles will not be competing because of the Olympic rule that allows only two athletes to participate from the same organizing committee. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.