TOKYO — Following Simone Biles’ withdrawal from Thursday’s all-around final at the Tokyo Olympics, USA Gymnastics announced that Jade Carey, who placed ninth in the qualifying round, will participate in her place. Fellow American Sunisa Lee, who secured a spot in the all-around final after posting the third-highest score in qualifying, also will compete.
>> RELATED STORY: Simone Biles withdraws from individual all-around competition at Tokyo Olympics
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Here are five things you need to know about Carey, 21, of Arizona:
1. She was the first female gymnast to secure an individual spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics.
While U.S. women’s gymnastics team members Biles, Lee, Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum, as well as individual competitor MyKayla Skinner, were awarded their spots at last month’s Olympic trials, Carey already knew she was headed to Tokyo. The Phoenix-based gymnast qualified for the Olympics last year via the Individual Apparatus World Cup Series, topping the rankings in vault and floor exercise, USA Today reported.
Although Carey could have attempted to make the four-member women’s team at the trials, she took to Instagram on June 15 to say that she would be sticking with her individual spot.
“I have every intention to accept the individual spot that I worked very hard to earn by competing in the Apparatus World Cup Series spanning from 2018-2020 when officially offered to me,” she wrote at the time. “My focus right now is preparing to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and being able to contribute to Team USA in any way possible. Thank you for your continued support.”
2. While this is Carey’s first Olympics, she is no stranger to international competition.
In addition to the World Cup Series, she has won four medals at the World Championships: team gold and silver on vault in 2019, as well as silver on vault and floor in 2017, according to USA Today.
3. Her coach is her father, Brian Carey.
He and her mother, Danielle Mitchell-Greenberg, got her involved with gymnastics at a young age, according to USA Gymnastics.
“My parents owned a gym when I was born, so I was always in the gym playing!” Carey, who started doing gymnastics when she was just 2 years old, wrote on her profile page.
The Arizona Sunrays-based gymnast signed a letter of intent with Oregon State University, according to the school’s website.
4. She has a powerhouse move of her own.
Carey may debut a laid-out triple-double on floor exercise, according to NBC Sports. If she lands the skill at the Olympics, it will bear her name and have the highest difficulty value of any move in the Gymnastics Code of Points, Inside Gymnastics reported.
Watch Carey practice the skill below:
Jade Carey (USA) has submitted the laidout triple double for Tokyo 2020, which would receive a record D Value of “K” & would be named after her in the Code of Points. Here’s a look at Carey training the skill back in the U.S., prior to U.S. Champs#tokyo2020
— Inside Gymnastics (@InsideGym) July 23, 2021
🎥 Jade Carey pic.twitter.com/1mTAi8BN3h
And here it is!!!@jadeacarey TRIPLE DLO. @Simone_Biles WALKED BY AND SAID CONGRATS AND THATS CRAZY! pic.twitter.com/9pEXwz1aXc
— tim daggett (@timdaggettnbc) June 2, 2021
5. In addition to the all-around, Carey is slated to compete in the individual vault and floor finals.
In the qualifying round Sunday, Carey posted the second-highest score on vault (15.166) and the third-highest score on floor exercise (14.1), according to NBC Sports.
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