WASHINGTON — While Jordan Chiles has been asked to return her bronze medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics, she may end up with a unique piece of hardware courtesy of Flavor Flav.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the rapper offered Chiles a bronze clock necklace to replace the medal.
Flavor Flav, whose real name is William Drayton, Jr., is known for his trademark timepiece necklaces which have become an iconic symbol in hip-hop. He was in Paris for the Olympics as part of his duties as the official hype man for USA Water Polo — a partnership that came together after he connected with U.S. captain Maggie Steffens and learned of the constant financial struggle for most Olympians.
Chiles was stripped of the bronze medal in floor exercise after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) voided an on-floor appeal by Chiles' coach that vaulted her to third, saying the appeal came 4 seconds beyond the 1-minute time limit for scoring inquiries.
Flav made his offer on the day of the Olympics Closing Ceremony and shared a video of the completed, blinged-out timepiece on Monday night.
Chile was initially in fifth place in the final competition, then an adjusted score after the appeal shot Chiles up two places to bronze.
The last-minute score change outraged the Romanian delegation, who appealed to CAS, a governing body that handles high-level judging disputes. When the court came back with their decision, they found that because the U.S. had filed their appeal four seconds over the one-minute timeframe to request a second look, the readjusted score was invalid.
The International Gymnastics Federation, which oversees the sport during the Olympics, subsequently revoked Chiles' medal and awarded it to the Romanian athlete who had originally placed third.
The U.S. Olympic delegation vowed to appeal the latest decision, and officials said they have video proof that the appeal was filed within the one-minute time limit, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport has so far refused to reconsider its decision. Chiles was already back in the United States when the decision to revoke her medal was made.
He was one of the many celebrity guests attending the Games to watch U.S. gymnasts such as Chiles and teammate Simone Biles stage a comeback after Biles' withdrawal from the Tokyo Games.