Remember how Jade Carey stepped in to replace Simone Biles for Team USA on both the floor and the vault competition in Tokyo? The latter withdrew after experiencing twisties and mental health issues. While Biles’s decision was scrutinized by the public, Carey won gold in the floor exercise and her elite journey got a nitro boost. She went on to secure a couple more gold medals at the 2022 World Championships in Liverpool. Flying high on confidence, the gymnast did not face a problem getting into the main mix of the Paris Olympics. However, despite the glitz and glamour wrapping her in glory, Carey started to show signs of breakdown.

Sometimes, too much gymnastics can be harmful, and Carey now realizes this. While trying to balance three full-fledged NCAA seasons along with her elite commitments, all the work took a toll on her body. Despite admitting to being sick in Paris, Jade Carey jumped right back into the Gold Over America Tour. But now, she chose to draw a line.

In her interview with Olympics.com, she stated, “I think I just want to take the year to kind of come down a little bit.” She also stated that she would “probably” not try for a spot at the 2025 World Championships.

“I think probably in the beginning, I’ll take it a little bit slow so I have a little bit of downtime. But you never know with me.” This is a strategy she used during her 2024 season leading up to the Paris Olympics. She worked with a scaled-back approach. Earlier in the season, she performed just one or two events at a time. But slowly added vault and floor to her schedule and gradually increased the difficulty.

“I feel like I can’t really [hold back]. I like to dive right in, but I’m excited to be able to really focus on my team this year. 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.”

The gymnast is excited about the upcoming college season that begins in January. While Carey did lead her pack at the Beavers, her involvement will surely be a lot more enticing this time around. Considering how her campaign almost got derailed in Paris, her decision to take time off the elite will heal her mind and body significantly. 

Jade Carey’s horrific fall in Paris…

Jade Carey was highly touted to deliver a medal-worthy performance in Paris. Trying to push herself during the team floor routine, her worst nightmare came true.

She tripped and went rolling outside the mat during the women’s qualification at the Bercy Arena. This was a huge setback, as a performance like this would mean a significant loss in points for Team USA. It was one of three times she stepped out of bounds.

Following her subpar performance, Carey spoke about her illness. She opened up, saying that she had a fever and also experienced poor gut health. “I had, like, no energy today and didn’t really have a sense of what was going on in my head,” she shared. “I just kind of wanted people to know that, so they know that there’s actually something wrong.”

But Jade Carey was determined to write her story in gold. She not only composed herself and delivered a decent performance to help Team USA clinch the gold.

The Beavers’ icon also nailed two of her vaults in the individual events. Averaging 14.466, Carey clinched the bronze medal, completing her redemption as Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade took the top two spots. Thus, with an inspiring emergence to mainstream gymnastics, Jade Carey will look to use her step down as a launching pad for greater success in the future. What do you think?