Leading up to the women’s gymnastics qualifiers at the Bercy Arena, Jade Carey and the rest of Team USA had been preparing to turn heads in the French capital. However, the 24-year-old hasn’t been feeling the best all along. “i haven’t been feeling the best the past few days but i gave it everything i had today. thank you for all the support i have received. i’m so grateful ❤️❤️,” she told fans on X. But that didn’t stop the elite gymnast from flawlessly executing a double-twisting Yurchenko and the Cheng vault.

Her stellar performance received a score of 14.43, securing the second position in the apparatus’ standings. Former U.S. gymnast Aly Raisman reassured Carey and let her know she had her back. “@jadeacarey you did so well today & I’m so proud of you!!!” It breaks my heart that our society is so hard on athletes that you feel the need to explain yourself 💔 You’re human ❤️ It’s ok to make mistakes.” She further stated that she hopes the gymnast feels better and reminded her that “there are people at home dreaming of one day being just like you 🥰” Such sound advice from the veteran. But why did Carey feel the need to explain herself to her fans?

Jade Carey’s rocky start to her second Olympic berth

During the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, Simone Biles stated how the Paris Summer Games will be Team USA’s redemption tour. The Final Five made were looking forward to executing that sentiment at the women’s gymnastics qualifiers on Sunday. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist was hoping to make the vault and floor finals. Even though she secured a spot in the vault finals, things didn’t go as planned during the floor exercise.

During her routine, the elite gymnast fell on to the ground in her last tumbling pass. Unfortunately, she won’t be able to defend her title in the apparatus. Post her contention on Sunday, Carey shed a light on what she has been going through behind the scenes. “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.” She told Olympic.com how she wanted to let her fans know that this wasn’t her nerves getting the best of her. “There’s actually something wrong.”  However, she didn’t reveal any details about what was affecting her.

Brian Carey, Jade’s father and coach had also been keeping unwell, resulting in him missing Thursday’s podium training. However, he was right by her side on Sunday. Even though her floor routine secured a 10.63, she will move on to the vault finals alongside the greatest gymnast of her generation, Simone Biles. The 24-year-old’s low score was automatically removed from Team USA’s tally. However, this won’t be possible at the finals on Tuesday.

Aly Raisman learned how important self-care is the hard way

If there’s anyone that understands the toll major competitions puts one’s body through, then it’s the veteran gymnast. Throughout the majority of her career, Raisman has had to go through several uncomfortable situations at major competitions. The 6-Olympic medalist would often have to deal with fatigue and nausea. This especially showed up during her stints at the Summer Games. However, she couldn’t get to the root of this for the longest time.

The athlete tried to seeking help during her competitive career. But she would often push herself through the discomfort, something the former gymnast now regrets. Post her retirement in 2020, she finally understood that the brightly lit stadiums aggravated her migraines. Since then, she has been focusing on doing a better job of looking after herself. Her response to Carey’s confession is a testament to her renewed mindset.

Aly Raisman had previously stated how she never gave herself any leeway when she competed. Not only did she go through intense training sessions, but she seldom made the effort to look after herself. “If you don’t pick a day to rest, your body will pick it for you.” As Jade Carey prepares to step into the women’s gymnastics finals, the former gymnast will be cheering for Team USA. With the finals inching closer, Raisman hopes the gymnast knows that she did an incredible job on Sunday. How will Carey fare at the finals? We will soon find out.