Months after the Paris Olympics debacle, Jordan Chiles’ rival finally got a chance to shine. And guess what? She grabbed that opportunity with both hands. In Paris, this Romanian gymnast officially held the third spot in the floor exercise finals, before Chiles’ score change edged her to the fourth position. However, fortunately for her, the CAS ruling upheld the reinstatement of her Olympic bronze medal. But the win that day and this win today probably feel way different. That one seemed oddly unsettling, but this one is a major pinch-me moment for her!

If you haven’t guessed who yet, we’re talking about Ana Barbosu. Even after Barbosu was awarded the much-contested Paris bronze, she seemed overwhelmed. “It’s a difficult situation for us, with so many uncertainties and overwhelming emotions. I hope everyone understands that we have not done anything wrong at the Olympics,” she said, keeping Sabrina Voinea and Jordan Chiles in her thoughts. But today’s win? Oh, it’s her special moment, and she has no uncertainties crossing her mind. Instead, she had an emotional message to share after her win.

Ana Barbosu and Romania’s artistic gymnastics team competed at the 2025 European Gymnastics Championships in Germany, where Ana Barbosu took the all-around bronze with a 52.299 score. With this, she becomes Romania’s first all-around podium finisher at the European Champs since 2013, aka 12 years ago. But that’s not all, with 13.766 on the board, Barbosu also landed the uneven bars bronze, a balance beam silver (13.666), and a floor exercise gold (13.833), taking her medal tally to 4.

Naturally, this left Jordan Chiles’ Romanian rival, Ana Barbosu, beaming, and that’s when she took to Instagram on May 31 and posted that this feat is “Something Ana from 2020 could’ve never imagined possible…” She then thanked her coaches, but it wasn’t just a thank you. She credited her coaches in the most special way, saying, “You didn’t just coach me, you helped heal my inner child. Thank you. 🤍.”

Ana Barbosu is achieving such exceptional feats at just 18, and of course, her coaches are to be credited for that. But well, this isn’t the first time. Back in 2020, Barbosu swept all the gold medals at the 2020 European Championships as a junior, announcing herself on the international stage. But to keep that same fire burning, especially after all that she went through last year, is no small feat. But Barbosu is backed by her coaches, who stood right by her side and probably even helped her heal from that baggage. Because for weeks, the then 17-year-old Ana Barbosu was vilified online.

Jordan Chiles’ bronze medal controversy scarred Barbosu

Just a day ago, when Barbosu won the all-around medal, she confessed about bouncing back after a really tough year. Barbosu said, “Well, I’m not going to lie, it was a really tough time last year and at the beginning of this year.”

We recently even saw a snippet where Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, her Romanian teammate, ignored her after Barbosu came down from the stage after her performance at the European Championships of 2025. Sabrina was another gymnast who was tangled in the bronze medal controversy with Jordan Chiles, and that video hinted at it, leaving strained relations between the two contemporaries, Barbosu and Sabrina.

But no matter what, Ana Barbosu remains thankful for the people she had around her. May 30, she continued saying, “But I was really lucky to have my family, friends, and also my coaches being here with me today, But also throughout this journey, this hard journey, they were close to me and they helped me with my mental health.” Thus, the message that Babrosu again sent out for her coaches today reiterates, they have played a cardinal role in her growth as a gymnast. Especially after 2024.