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Jade Carey is well-versed in the art of the comeback.
The 24-year-old took home a gold medal for her iconic floor routine at the Tokyo Olympics just 24 hours after a shaky performance in the vault final.
But her return to the prestigious tournament in Paris follows "probably my worst year in elite gymnastics ever," Carey said in a recent interview with Elle, referring to her performance at the National Championships' all-around event in 2023, where she ranked 15th place.
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But this year, the athlete said, she is reminding herself that she can be "as good as I was," and "get back to where I wanted to be."
The Phoenix native is unmissable on the mat, but not because of her bouncy blonde ponytail or 5'2 stature.
The athlete is known for a signature skill — a tucked Kasamatsu full. A moved performed on the vault and renamed "the Carey" in 2016 by the Junior Olympic Code of Points in her honor, according to Elle.
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Carey represented the US as an individual competitor. But Paris marks the first time she'll be competing in the Olympics as part of a team alongside Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Hezly Rivera.
"It's not always easy to just come together and be a team right away, because we're from all different gyms around the whole country," Carey told Elle.
"But we've seen each other enough at camps and have competed against each other at competitions. We all have a common goal," she said.
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Carey is also supported by her parents, Brian Carey and Danielle Mitchell-Greenberg, former gymnasts who owned a gym in Phoenix while Carey was growing up.
The young Olympian been trained by her father since a young age. But unlike many gymnasts, who start professionally from as young as 12, Carey didn't start at the elite level until she was 17, NBC reported.
Carey told KGW News her father "never once doubted me in my whole life and has always helped me prepare to get where I am today."
Speaking to KGW, Brian said the family make an effort to separate gymnastics from their personal lives and "don't talk about gymnastics at home ever."
After Tokyo, Carey began her studies at Oregon State University, where she is pursuing a degree in Digital Communication Arts. She is also a member of the university's gymnastic team, where her father was hired as an assistant coach in 2023, according to NBC.
Carey was initially supposed to enrol before the Tokyo games, but deferred in order to focus on her training.
"I chose Oregon State for so many reasons but one that sticks out in particular is the family environment," Carey said in an interview with the university in 2023.
"From the minute I stepped on campus and met the gymnastics coaches, I felt connected and cared for," she said.
Carey said she doesn't have "specific plans for after college," adding that she wants to be involved with women's sports.
The athlete's net worth is not known. However, it's worth noting that Team USA signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Nike in 2023, according to Essentially Sports.
