Team USA’s gymnastics women, aka The Golden Girls, each stepped up on July 30th to add a golden lining to their “Redemption Tour.” Every woman on the team has had a rollercoaster journey to get to the podium, from Simone Biles battling a calf injury to Suni Lee managing her kidney disease, Jordan Chiles seeking redemption from the Tokyo qualification round, and Hezly Rivera being the youngest member of the team. But one scare came on the Paris Olympics qualification day when 2021 Olympic silver medalist Jade Carey shared, “I just have not been feeling well the past few days and haven’t been able to eat or anything.”

Yet despite this, she gave it her all in the Team Finals. 24 hours after her massive contribution, she opened up to TODAY co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, sharing, “I was just telling myself to be my normal self that I am every day in the gym, that I’ve done so much work and that I knew how to do it and it would all be over in 10 seconds.”

It was no easy feat. Jade Carey opened up about the pressure, sharing, “A lot of pressure on that one vault, but I knew that if I was just my normal self that it would get the job done for what the team needed.” And she delivered! The 24-year-old nailed a stunning Cheng vault. Though her leg form was a bit shaky in the pre-flight and still noticeable post-block, she landed it solidly, scoring a strong 14.800. And while Carey, Chiles, and Biles shined on the vault, they set the stage for thrilling performances on the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor. The United States dominated the competition, scoring 171.296 to secure first place. Italy followed with 165.494, and Brazil rounded out the top three with 164.497. Reflecting on Jade Carey’s performance, it seemed impossible just two days ago.

Jade Carey’s gutsy performance and illness scare turned Team USA’s gold quest into a nail-biting adventure just days before the finals!

Normally, she’s all about that pre-competition steak meal, but not this time! After her Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Subdivision 2 qualifier, she told Olympics.com: “I just have not been feeling well the past few days and haven’t been able to eat or anything. 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.” Jade Carey even took to X to express her thanks for the support during the tough time she was dealing with.

And it wasn’t just Jade feeling under the weather—her dad, Coach Brian Carey, caught the bug too and missed Team USA’s podium training at the Bercy Arena on July 25. USA Gymnastics shared on X, “Coach Brian Carey is not feeling well today and will miss Women’s Podium Training. He will return to the team soon.” During the qualification round, Jade’s floor exercise had its ups and downs. She kicked off with a Chuso and a small hop, followed by a double layout going out with both feet. Her routine included a switch, switch 1/1, Popa, and a full-in with a chest down and a bounce out.

After a tour jete 1/2 and front-to-back tuck, she unexpectedly rolled out of bounds, scoring 10.633. But in Rotation 3, she came back strong on the vault. For Vault 1, she nailed a Cheng with one bounce back. Vault 2 was supposed to be an Amanar, but she did a clean DTY instead, with just a hop back. She scored 14.666 for Vault 1 and 14.200 for Vault 2, averaging 14.433. Despite some hiccups, Carey landed second in the vault standings and snagged a spot in the Vault finals.

A day later, there was good news. Jade’s mom, Danielle Greenberg, gave an update on TODAY, saying, “She’s doing much better today. Trying to hydrate, get some food in, ready to go.” And her dad was back, cheering her on from the sidelines after her epic vault routine. Reflecting on this resilience and grit, what are your thoughts on Jade Carey’s words about braving her illness and fighting for gold? What did you think of her performance in the Team Finals? Share in the comments below!