Jade Carey secures gold in floor exercise at Tokyo Olympics
U.S. gymnast Jade Carey has taken gold in the floor exercise on Tuesday after an impressive routine in the final.
Carey secured gold after nailing all four of her tumbling passes, which included nine flips and six twists in her routine. She is the third consecutive American to take gold in the event after Aly Raisman in 2012 and Simone Biles in 2016. Her medal raises to five the number of medals Team USA has in women's artistic gymnastics in the Tokyo Games.
After Biles pulled out of Thursday's individual all-around competition to focus on her mental well-being, Carey stepped in to replace her. Carey didn't qualify initially because she was the third-ranking American behind Biles and Suni Lee, but she ended up placing eighth in the all-around final. She also finished eighth in the vault last week after making a mistake.
However, Carey rebounded and earned her first ever gold medal on Monday. She did not debut her laid-out triple-double, which she completed while training for the U.S. championships in June.
And here it is!!!@jadeacarey TRIPLE DLO. @Simone_Biles WALKED BY AND SAID CONGRATS AND THATS CRAZY! pic.twitter.com/9pEXwz1aXc
— tim daggett (@timdaggettnbc) June 2, 2021
Carey, who is from Phoenix, Arizona, secured her spot at the Games in a unique way. She won gold in the vault and floor competitions in the 2020 Melbourne World Cup and the 2019 Doha World Cup and Baku World Cup, securing her spot in Tokyo thanks to a new rule that is entirely separate from the USA Gymnastics selection process. She deferred enrollment at Oregon State to train and compete in the World Cup Series leading up to the Olympics.