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Flava Flav made a bronze clock necklace for Jordan Chiles amid medal controversy

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

American gymnast Jordan Chiles is one of the best athletes ever to compete in the sport. And while she waits for the controversy over whether she gets to keep her bronze medal to play out, Olympic superfan Flavor Flav has stepped up to give her her flowers.

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Not exactly flowers. Flav - the rapper and Team USA water polo sponsor - is world famous for wearing an enormous clock around his neck. This is a look he started sporting back in the '80s as a member of Public Enemy. In fact, one of his earliest necklaces is part of the Smithsonian collection.

SHAPIRO: Well, now he's revealed on X a gleaming, bejeweled bronze clock created just for Chiles to wear around her neck, whether she ultimately holds onto her Olympic bronze or not.

KELLY: Chiles is on a social media break while Team USA appeals the decision to award the third-place medal for the floor routine to a Romanian gymnast.

SHAPIRO: And meanwhile, her one-of-a-kind hardware from a one-of-a-kind hip-hop luminary might help her wait it out while Team USA keeps up the fight.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FIGHT THE POWER")

PUBLIC ENEMY: (Singing) Come on and get down. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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Gurjit Kaur
Gurjit Kaur is a producer for NPR's All Things Considered. A pop culture nerd, her work primarily focuses on television, film and music.