It’s been a tough week for American gymnast Jordan Chiles.

The International Olympic Committee announced on Sunday that it was stripping Chiles of the bronze medal she won in the women’s floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics and awarding it instead to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu. USA Gymnastics appealed the ruling, but its appeal was rejected.

Chiles announced she would be taking a break from social media over the weekend, but she returned on Thursday to release a statement about ongoing events.

“While I was celebrating my Olympic success, I heard the devastating news that my bronze medal had been revoked,” Chiles wrote. “I trusted the USAG appeal, which conclusively proved that my result complied with all the rules. That appeal was unsuccessful.”

“I am at a loss for words. This decision feels unfair and is a huge blow, not only to me but to everyone who has supported my journey. What adds to the grief is that the unsolicited racially motivated attacks on social media are wrong and extremely hurtful. I have put my heart and soul into this sport and am so proud to represent my culture and my country.”

The controversy began when the Romanian Gymnastics Federation lodged a protest with the International Gymnastics Federation and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against an appeal by Chilean coach Cecile Landi.

Shortly after Chiles’ score for her floor exercise was announced as 13.666, Landi submitted a request to the judges asking if her difficulty rating was too low. She won the challenge and raised Chiles’ score to 13.766 – enough to jump from fifth to third in the standings.

However, an arbitration panel ruled that Landi filed the appeal 64 seconds after the score was announced – four seconds more than the one-minute time limit allowed to file a request. On Sunday, USA Gymnastics released video evidence showing that Landi actually filed the appeal 47 seconds after the score was announced, but the organization’s appeal was still denied.

“I am now facing one of the most difficult moments of my career,” Chiles said. “Believe me, I have experienced many. I will face this challenge like others and do everything I can to ensure justice is done. I am convinced that at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”

No matter what happens with the bronze medal in the end, Chiles will always be an Olympic gold medalist after helping Team USA win the team all-around final in Paris.