Aly Raisman Calls Jordan Chiles’ Olympics Medal Controversy ‘Cruel’: ‘This Is Just So Heartbreaking’

"I don't think that Jordan should have to give her medal back," Raisman said

• Aly Raisman appeared on Today and shared that she's "gutted" for Jordan Chiles amid her Olympic bronze medal controversy

• Raisman, who won the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games after her coaches challenged her fourth-place score, said the decision is "unfair," adding, "I just can't even believe that we're in this situation"

• The athlete noted that she has spoken to Chiles, but is going to keep their conversation private
  

Aly Raisman is supporting Jordan Chiles amid her Olympic bronze medal controversy.

The 6-time Olympic medalist, 30, appeared on Today on Monday, Aug. 12, to share her feelings on the controversy and give insight into the impact it might have on Chiles, 23. Raisman also offered a potential outcome that wouldn't punish the athletes.

"This is just so heartbreaking and I'm just so gutted for Jordan. I can't even imagine what this past week has been like for Jordan and the other athletes involved," Raisman told Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin.

"I think it's so unfair, it's so cruel and I don't think that Jordan should have to give her medal back. The IOC has given more than one medal before and I think that they should do that now."

Raisman described the controversy as "devastating" and "awful."

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As seen during NBC's Olympic coverage of the women's gymnastics individual floor exercise final on on Monday, Aug. 5, Chiles (who was the final athlete to compete) finished the floor exercise competition in fifth place behind Romanian gymnasts Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea.

Chiles' coaches then challenged her initial difficulty score, 13.666, claiming that she was not given adequate credit for a leap that involved performing a split in the air while turning 540 degrees. The judges accepted the initial challenge and ruled in Chiles' favor, increasing her score by a tenth of a point to 13.766.

The new score moved Chiles up in the standings to the bronze medal position ahead of the Romanian gymnasts, who both scored 13.700.

But on Saturday, Aug. 10, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in favor of Maneca-Voinea and Barbosu's protest of the decision, claiming that Coach Cecile Landi submitted her initial challenge four seconds too late.

Related: Aly Raisman Bursting with Pride Over U.S. Gymnastics Team: 'They're Changing the Way People View the Sport' (Exclusive)

Chiles was stripped of her bronze medal, but The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is appealing the decision, claiming that they have video evidence that Landi's score challenge was submitted on time.

Raisman was in a similar situation in the balance beam finals at the 2012 London Games. In her case, she won the bronze medal after her coaches challenged her fourth-place score. Her individual medal win came after the women's individual all-around final in London, during which she came in fourth after a tiebreaker, missing the podium.

On Today, Raisman said that the athletes involved should not be penalized for what was ultimately the judging panel's mistake in accepting the challenge. "It's unfair, I just can't even believe that we're in this situation," she added.

The former Olympian, who has gone on to advocate for gymnasts' mental heath, gave insight into the athlete's perspective.

Related: Jordan Chiles’ Sister Calls Out Racists After After IOC Says Jordan Must Return Olympic Bronze Medal: ‘Racism Is Real’

Raisman continued by noting, “As an athlete, we trust the process. We trust that the rules are in place, that there’s been a lot of thought behind it, and that the rules are there to be fair. Going forward, we need to understand how this is happening and how to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

"I think that the organizations that are in charge of this need to really look at the athletes’ mental health and how much this is affecting them, and how cruel it is to take a medal away from someone,” she added, describing the controversy as "unfathomable."

Raisman told the co-hosts that she has spoken to Chiles, but is going to keep their conversation private.

"She's just an incredible person," Raisman said of Chiles. "I just feel for her. My heart's going out to her, I support her fully."

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