Flavor Flav just unveiled the bronze clock necklace he made for Jordan Chiles after the gymnast was stripped of her Olympic bronze medal.
Chiles earned her podium finish in the floor finals in Paris after an appeal by her coach Cecile Landi moved her from the fifth position to third. The appeal came after judges failed to add difficulty points for a skill in which she performed a split in the air while turning 540 degrees.
Her original score of 13.666 was changed to 13.766 after the error was corrected, landing Chiles in the bronze medal position.
However, days later the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) claimed Landi made the appeal four seconds outside of the one-minute appeal window and demanded Chiles return her medal.
Upon hearing this news, Flavor Flav, the Olympic hero we didn't know we needed, once again stepped in, offering the kindest gesture on social media.
The rapper tweeted:
"Ayyy YOOOO @ChilesJordan ,,, imma make you a BRONZE CLOCK NECKLACE,,, and that’s something NO ONE else has,!!!"
"Hit me up my girl,,, I gotchu,!!!
By the very next evening he had made good on his word, taking to X, formerly Twitter, yet again, this time to show off the finished product: a bronze clock necklace fully encrusted with bronze-colored rhinestones.
And the masses collectively cheered, both for Flavor Flav and Chiles.
Amidst all the drama surrounding Chiles' medal, the gymnast got off of all social media, but her mother, Gina, thanked the rapper on X, writing:
"Thank you. Means the world."
"She's not on socials right now as you can imagine."
"I'll share it with her. 🫶🏽"
Others followed suit, commending Flavor Flav for his heartfelt gesture.
Flavor Flav has been a staple figure at the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, often seen in the stands cheering for the athletes.
Of course, he spent most of his time at the Aquatic Centre and the Paris La Défense Arena rooting for the US women's water polo team, which he sponsored so they could make the journey to Paris as many of the players were working multiple jobs in order to fund their appearance at the games.
And his kind gesture towards Chiles probably means more than he knows, especially now that the CAS denied Chiles' appeal to reinstate the bronze medal even though the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) claimed they had video evidence showing the appeal was made within the allowed one-minute window.
In a statement shared with People on August 11, USA Gymnastics wrote:
"USA Gymnastics on Sunday formally submitted a letter and video evidence to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, conclusively establishing that Head Coach Cecile Landi’s request to file an inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after the publishing of the score, within the 1-minute deadline required by FIG rule."
Unfortunately, as of August 12 an appeal for Chiles had been denied and it seems there is little hope for her getting the bronze back.
A later statement from USA Gymnastics read:
"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."
"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."
@WhiteHouse/X
