The hearings of gymnasts Ana Bărbosu and Sabrina Maneca Voinea at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne lasted seven hours.
The Romanian Gymnastics Federation has requested CAS to award 3 bronze medals, one for Ana Maria Bărbosu, one for Sabrina Voinea, and one for Jordan Chiles.
According to lawyer Sorin Gherdan, who represented the Romanian athletes, the verdict is expected on Saturday evening, and the news is encouraging.
"There were seven hours of hearings, and we will have the verdict after 7 PM in Romania. Two people went through the hearings: the coach of the American athlete and Donatella Sacchi, the president of the women's technical committee and head of the Superior Jury, who judges each appeal. The gymnasts were not heard.
There were many technical issues involved, but the news is encouraging. All scenarios are open, but, after all this marathon, I could assess that it is theoretically possible for Sabrina Voinea and Ana Maria Bărbosu to both obtain the bronze," Gherdan stated for GSP.
In this case, Ana Maria Bărbosu initially obtained the bronze for 30 seconds, but the jury accepted the appeal of the American Jordan Chiles, to whom they awarded a score sufficient to surpass the Romanian.
Previously, Sabrina Voinea was deducted points, a decision considered erroneous by the Romanian camp, due to some images seen from incorrect angles by the judges.