The 2020 Tokyo Olympics may be Jade Carey’s first Olympics Games, but she’s already a star in the gymnastics world. Here are five things to know about the U.S. athlete who is filling in for Simone Biles in the women’s gymnastics all-around.
As Simone Biles was fighting through a leg injury Sunday in Paris, U.S. gymnastics teammate Jade Carey had her own hurdle to clear.
Carey revealed to Olympics.com after Sunday’s qualifying session that her abnormally inconsistent performance was not due to nerves, but due to sickness.
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“I just have not been feeling well the past few days and haven’t been able to eat or anything,” Carey said.
SEE MORE: Simone Biles' gritty performance helps U.S. take lead during Olympic qualifications
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During her floor routine, Carey made several unusual mistakes, most notably on her final tumbling pass. She appeared to get lost in the air during what should have been a double tuck, opting for a single tuck and then rolling onto her back and out of bounds. The reigning Olympic floor champion finished last out of all floor competitors with a score of 10.633 and will not get the opportunity to defend her Tokyo title.
“I had, like, no energy today and didn’t really have a sense of what was going on in my head. So, I just kind of wanted people to know that so, they know that there’s actually something wrong,” Carey said.
Despite that, Carey bounced back on vault with a score of 14.433, good enough to put her through to the vault final alongside Biles. Carey’s mom, Danielle, might have been the most nervous person in the whole building:
The women's team final is Tuesday, July 30, and the women's vault final will take place on Saturday, Aug. 3.
