In a touching display of support and admiration, iconic rapper and hype man Flavor Flav recently made headlines by presenting U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles with a replacement bronze medal. The moment, which was filled with emotion and mutual respect, highlights the deep connections and unexpected friendships that can form in the world of sports and entertainment.
Flavor Flav Unveils Bronze Clock He Made for Jordan Chiles After She Was Stripped of Olympic Medal
Jordan’s mom Gina Chiles said the kind gesture “means the world”
Flavor Flav is making sure Jordan Chiles isn’t empty handed from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 65-year-old rapper, who made headlines for his support of Team USA and its water polo team throughout the Games, shared a look at the bronze clock necklace he created just for her after she was stripped of her bronze medal from the gymnastics floor exercise final on Aug. 5.
In a post shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, Aug. 12, he showed a video of the item, which featured several bronze rhinestones both inside and outside the clock and a bronze-colored hands set at the 12:00 mark. In the video, it hung off a white string as he turned it left and right to show it off in front of an American flag.
“USA gonna Fight the Powers that be,,, in the meantime between time,,, Imma always a man of my word @ChilesJordan,” he captioned the video, referencing his hip-hop group Public Enemy’s infamous song “Fight the Power.”
In response to the video, Chiles’ mom, Gina Chiles, wrote, “Thank you. Means the world. She’s not on socials right now as you can imagine. I’ll share it with her.”
The musician’s unveiling of the clock necklace came a day after he offered to make a custom piece for the Team USA star, 23, amid the controversy.
On Monday Aug. 12, USA Gymnastics announced in a statement on social media that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had denied Chiles appeal to reinstate the bronze medal and she had been stripped of the silverware after Romanian competitors Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea challenged her placement in the floor exercise final.
The American gymnast initially scored a 13.666 on her routine, putting her behind the Romanians, who were in 4th and 5th place with a score of 13.700. Chiles’ coach Cecile Landi appealed the score, arguing that her difficulty should have been higher to include credit for a leap that involved performing a split in the air while turning 540 degrees.
Chiles was then awarded a score of 13.766, landing her with the bronze medal and a spot on the podium alongside her teammate Simone Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade.
However, CAS found that Landi submitted her challenge of Chiles’ first score four seconds too late and she was stripped of her bronze medal.
The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) attempted to appeal the decision, claiming there was video evidence to show that Landi’s appeal was made in time.
However, as of the CAS on Aug. 12, Barbosu, 18, is the only gymnast who will receive the bronze medal.
“USA Gymnastics was notified by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday that their rules do not allow for an arbitral award to be reconsidered even when conclusive new evidence is presented,” the statement from USA Gymnastics read following the decision.
“We are deeply disappointed by the notification and will continue to pursue every possible avenue and appeal process, including to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to ensure the just scoring, placement, and medal award for Jordan,” the statement added.