In the last edition of the Olympics, Jade Carey made a comeback of extraordinary proportions. Tokyo, the city that gave birth to anime, is familiar with protagonists facing conflicts but then triumphing over them at the end. That was exactly what they witnessed with Carey when she stepped up to the competitive floor for the finals.
The day before, she had given a heavily forgettable performance in the vault finals, finishing 8th. Thus, standing on that floor, she wanted to correct her wrongs with a performance worthy of making her country proud. And she delivered. She perfectly performed her routine, winning the gold medal for her country and herself. She received her flowers when she returned to her home state of Arizona. The mayor declared August 17th “Jade Carey Day.”
Now, with the Paris edition of the games knocking on the door, her attributes of age, height, and weight might play a huge factor in repeating her success. Thus, we take a look at some of them below.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Jade Carey’s above-average age and her weight
History shows us that female gymnastics is a sport mainly built for the young. The average age is usually between 16 and 22. Jade Carey thus must fall into the category of a veteran at the age of 24. The USA’s most decorated gymnast, Simone Biles, is 27 and is a favorite in the games, implying that Carey has her best days ahead of her, maybe. The trend of teenagers participating in the Olympics is slowly changing.
The average age of the gymnasts on the US team is 21 years and 11 months. This is the highest since 1964. For the first time, all the members of the country are older than 18. Thus, this is the best time for the older athletes to compete.
She was still a level 10 gymnast when she was 17. Her qualification for elite status only came to fruition after her training with Valeri Liukin in 2017. She then made her elite debut on July 7 at the American Classic and placed first on the vault, floor, and balance beam. Due to this achievement, many have since started to consider her ‘naturally talented’.
Carey weighs in at 110 pounds, which falls into the average category of female gymnasts. They usually weigh between 95 and 115 pounds. Thus, she can perform her routines with relative ease without worrying much. The difference many claim is caused by her height.
Jade Carey’s above-average height
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Jade Carey’s is 5 feet, 2 inches tall. The average height of a female gymnast is around 5 feet. This gives her a slight competitive advantage over her peers. Comparatively, Simone Biles is 4 feet and 8 inches. Carey’s other teammates, Joscelyn Roberson and Jordan Chiles, are 4 feet 8 inches and 4 feet 11 inches tall, respectively.
Thus, Carey is the tallest among her teammates, with the closest being Leanne Wong, who is 5 feet, 1 inch tall. This might play a factor later in the games. Her height possibly plays a role in her performance of her signature skill, which is the Kasamutsu full. This was performed by her on the vault and was then renamed “Carey” in her honor.
Jade Carey’s parents
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As they say, genes play an important role in everything; it did the same for Jade Carey. Her parents, Brian Carey, and Danielle Mitchell-Greenberg, are former gymnasts. This led her to start gymnastics at the very young age of one. Her dad is now her coach. He has previously stated that he never wanted to push her into the sport and wanted her passion to develop naturally.
Even when she was a child, he would just ask her if she had fun rather than scrutinizing her techniques. Eventually, her love for the sport developed which has led to this highly successful outcome. Carey would now be aiming to get her hands on another medal at the greatest show on earth in Paris.