The gymnastics community is going wild after Jade Carey revealed her plans for the future. Fresh off a stellar performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the 24-year-old gymnast revealed that she plans to take a step back from elite competition in 2025. She has not only helped her team win gold in the team event, but she also bagged an individual bronze in the vault. But, after years of balancing her elite career with collegiate gymnastics at Oregon State University, Carey is ready for some well-deserved downtime.

Just before the Gold Over America Tour, Carey sat in a conversation with Olympics.com where she shared, “I think I just want to take the year to kind of come down a little bit”. Her resolution to take a step back comes from her bold decision to prioritize her physical and mental well-being after competing for several years at a stretch. However, this conscious choice also means that she won’t be competing at the 2025 World Championships in Indonesia.

Ever since she won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, Carey has been on a roll. She’s now one of the top five most decorated gymnasts in her country, right alongside Aly Raisman. After returning from the Paris Olympics, Carey still did not take a break. She joined Simone Biles for the ‘Gold Over America Tour,’ and she’s also been competing for Oregon State while still doing elite gymnastics. And now, finally overcoming the barriers Carey has decided to prioritize herself over her elite competitive career. 

The 24-year-old gymnast stated, “I feel like I can’t really (hold back)…I’m not doing elite this year, so I just have them to focus on and that’s it. I’m really excited to jump in with them and be a leader and help get them to where we want to go.” Although Jade Carey has announced a break, she won’t step away from the arena completely. The Arizona native is now excited to focus on her final collegiate season with the OSU Beavers, where she hopes to lead her team to success.

In Paris, Carey overcame illness and an early setback to help lead Team USA to victory. However, her hard try to make her nation succeed faced a huge barrier when Carey tripped badly while performing the floor routine. She acknowledged the setback and confessed that she has been going against her health to prioritize her Olympic journey. Following the announcement from Carey, fans were quick to share their opinions on the gymnast’s unexpected decision.

Fans weigh in on Jade Carey’s decision to step back from elite gymnastics

Such a decision sparked netizens to share their two cents on the matter. Fans took a stand to approve Carey’s decision to take a break from the elite.

Expressing support for Jade Carey’s decision to step back from elite gymnastics, one fan commented, “Good for her!!! Well deserved! I was just thinking about how exhausted she must be. Non stop since Tokyo!” Recognizing her efforts, the commenter mentioned that she deserves the break after her relentless schedule since the Tokyo Olympics. Their words also reflect the intense demands placed on Carey. Now, she has to juggle elite competitions with college gymnastics, and she’s even doing the Gold Over America Tour.

Another fan had a different opinion to share. They humorously suggested that Jade Carey’s decision to step back from elite gymnastics in 2025 might be influenced by dissatisfaction with the new competition format. The comment read, “She took one look at the w-ck a– 2025 format and said “absolutely not” exactly Jade”. They considered the recent changes to be unappealing and hints that Carey’s decision to take the break is a rejection of the new system.

One X user pointed out that through Jade Carey’s message, it is understandable that she might not be retiring but is just taking a break. “Probably not doesn’t sound like retirement is on her mind though 👀  also good for her, she really deserves that break!”, commented the fan in response to Carey’s words, “I think probably in the beginning, I’ll take it a little bit slow so I have a little bit of downtime”. 

Netizens also supported her decision to take a break, acknowledging she deserves time to rest after years of intense competition at both elite and collegiate levels. One fan added, “Good for her she deserves a break!”.The fan also acknowledged that Carey has earned some well-deserved rest and recovery time following her successes, including her recent Olympic achievements.

Now, although she remains undecided about her future beyond college gymnastics, Jade Carey has expressed her excitement about fully immersing herself in her senior season. She would look forward to play the role of a leader for her team. While Carey’s fans will miss seeing her on the world stage in 2025, this break may just be the recharge she needs to come back even stronger. Well, this break might also bring her back as a stronger contestant for the Los Angeles Olympics 2028. What are your thoughts on Carey’s decision?