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NBC slammed for skipping Jordan Chiles' routine after she replaced Simon Biles: 'Truly bonkers'

Jordan Chiles, 24, who was the last-minute replacement for Simone Biles, helped Team USA win silver

In a shocking move, Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympics finals. The 24-year-old, dubbed as the 'greatest gymnasts of all time' left the competition floor on July 27, after performing the first apparatus of the night. Jordan Chiles, 20, stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Simone Biles and helped Team USA win silver. Jordan Chiles was born in Tualatin, Oregon, and raised in Vancouver, Washington. She is the youngest of five siblings and was a preternatural gymnast. According to NBC Sports, Chiles was named after Michael Jordan.

After her withdrawal from the Games, Biles indicated that her move was due to the 'emotional toll' she is feeling as 'the head star' of the Olympics and not any physical injury. After her team won silver following her departure, Biles said, "Physically, I feel good, I’m in shape. Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Coming to the Olympics and being head star isn’t an easy feat, so we’re just trying to take it one day at a time and we’ll see." She added, "I’m OK, just super frustrated of how the night [went], but super proud of these girls and now we’re silver medalists. Something we’ll cherish forever. We hope America still loves us."

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On the other hand, NBC was slammed for skipping the live coverage of Jordan Chiles' gymnastics routine. Chiles had stepped in as a last-minute replacement for Biles. One user wrote, "So, is NBC just going to omit Grace and Jordan (and MyKayla) on bars and beam?" Another tweet read, "I get that there's a USA specific tracker online, but it is TRULY BONKERS to me that NBC won't show Jordan Chiles' bar routine in the main coverage feed." Another user wrote, "'Do not count Jordan Chiles out ever!' -@nbc commentators right after they tore her apart and then were proved wrong because she’s a badass and absolutely dominated on beam. So sick of how the media is treating these athletes." One frustated user said, "I’m sorry is there some sort of conspiracy against Jordan Chiles? She’s done two events so far and NBC has shown me neither."

Speaking of how did her teammates reacted when she informed them of her decision to pull out, Biles noted that they "freaked out". She said, “They were crying, and I was like, ‘You guys need to relax, you’re gonna be fine without me. Go out there, kick some butt just like you’ve done in training, and just lay it out on the floor and see what happens'." Biles also didn't commit to competing in the all-around competition that begins Thursday, July 29 or the individual apparatus events. She said, "We’re gonna take it day by day, and we’re just gonna see."

Meanwhile, Russian gymnast Angelina Melnikova, who won gold in the women’s team final with the rest of the Russian Olympic Committee, said after the win, "We still can’t believe it’s happening. The impossible is possible now. We worked extremely hard, we were basically in a closed training camp for a year and a half, working for this moment."