The Romanian gymnast who controversially snagged bronze over Olympic star Jordan Chiles two years ago has been temporarily suspended from the sport after being hit with a doping violation.<\/p>\n
Romania\u2019s Ana Maria Barbosu, 19, was charged with an anti-doping rule violation and slapped with a provisional suspension after dodging three drug tests within a 12-month span, according to the International Testing Agency.<\/a><\/p>\n Olympic athletes are required to log daily whereabouts \u2013 including a one-hour testing window \u2013 during the off-season and any three missed tests or filing failures in a year count as a doping violation, officials said.<\/p>\n Romania\u2019s Ana Maria Barbosu, 19, was charged with an anti-doping rule violation and slapped with a provisional suspension. dpa\/picture alliance via Getty Images<\/p>\n Barbosu referred her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where she\u2019ll have to justify each no-show.<\/p>\n \u201cThe athlete has requested for the case to be referred for adjudication to the Court of Arbitration for Sport Anti-Doping Division where the athlete will have the opportunity to present explanations and evidence regarding each of the three whereabouts failures,\u201d the organization said on Thursday.<\/p>\n The International Testing Agency said she dodged three drug tests within a 12-month span. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images<\/p>\n The athlete could be suspended for up to two years depending on the outcome of her appeal.<\/p>\n Babosu fired back on social media after the announcement, blaming college for the lapse and stressing her missed tests had nothing to do with \u201cprohibited substances.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to share and clarify some information that has been circulating,\u201d she posted on her Instagram Story, NBC Sports reported.<\/a><\/p>\n Barbosu referred her case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where she\u2019ll have to justify each no-show. Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cAs you can imagine, moving to the US and starting college (at Stanford within the last year) has been a big transition. Navigating through all the changes has been challenging, and I\u2019m continuing to learn and grow through each experience,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be clear, this situation has nothing to do with prohibited substances, and I have been grateful for the guidance and support through the process.\u201d<\/p>\n Barbosu is currently in an ongoing appeals process with Chiles<\/a> over the disputed bronze medal decision.<\/p>\n Barbosu is currently in an ongoing appeals process with Jordan Chiles over the disputed bronze medal decision. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Chiles originally finished third in the floor exercise<\/a> at the 2024 Paris Olympics only to have the medal given to Barbosu after the Romanian team appealed the score.<\/p>\n Before the dispute, the US team initially appealed Chiles\u2019 score, bumping her from fifth to third.<\/p>\n But a CAS panel reversed the decision<\/a> after finding the inquiry was filed four seconds past the one-minute deadline, dropping her back to fifth and forcing her to give the bronze to her Romanian opponent.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chiles originally finished third in the floor exercise at the 2024 Paris Olympics only to have the medal given to Barbosu after the Romanian team appealed the score. Getty Images<\/p>\n Chiles challenged the ruling to Switzerland\u2019s Federal Supreme Court, which sent the case back to the CAS to review new video evidence<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n