Phoenix Phenom Jade Carey Defies Illness to Claim Olympic Bronze in Paris Vault

The Mountain Ridge High School alum will look to win her second Olympic medal on August 3rd after qualifying for the vault final.

PARIS, France — Jade Carey, a Mountain Ridge High School alum and former Arizona Sunrays competitor, is back in the Summer Olympics. This is her second trip to the Summer Games after competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she won gold in the floor exercise.

“I would say it’s really rewarding and special,” Carey said. “I never thought that I would even get there once, so to get there twice means that much more to me.”

Despite not feeling well in the early days of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Carey pushed through. “I just have not been feeling well the past few days and haven’t been able to eat or anything,” she told Olympics.com.

Carey fell on her last floor exercise tumbling pass but bounced back on vault with a 14.433 average in her two attempts of the second qualifying session. This effort will likely secure her a spot in the vault final, occurring on Saturday. She currently sits third in the vault standings.

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team leads all countries with 172.296 points. Carey and her teammates aim for their third gold since 2012. Her roster includes familiar faces like Sunisa Lee, the 2020 all-around champion, and Simone Biles, a seven-time Olympic medalist and 2016 all-around champion.

Carey’s Olympic journey began watching the 2016 Rio Olympics with her dad, realizing that she could potentially become an Olympian. Her father, Brian, has been instrumental in her career, doubling as her coach. “We’re really good at keeping things separate,” she said. “We don’t really talk about gymnastics if we’re not in the gym.”

The 2020 Summer Olympics were unique due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The world shut down, and for the first time in history, the games were rescheduled to 2021 with no fans present. Carey is excited for the change in the 2024 Games. “I’m most excited for having a crowd and fans,” she said.

Carey’s experience at the Tokyo Olympics was emotional. She struggled in the vault finals, finishing eighth, but bounced back the next night to win gold in the floor exercise. “I can’t even describe it,” her father said. “She had gone from such a low the day before to such a high that day.”

Upon returning to the U.S. as a gold medalist, she received support from Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego, who proclaimed Aug. 17 Jade Carey Day. Carey has since dominated collegiate competition, earning Pac-12 gymnast of the year in her first two seasons at Oregon State.

Carey secured her second Olympics trip by placing fourth in the all-around event and first in vault. Biles, Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Hezly Rivera will join her in representing Team USA. “My dad is very special to me, and to be able to share these incredible experiences with him means a lot,” Carey said.

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

Arizona sports

The city of Phoenix is home to four major professional sports league teams: The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, NBA’s Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, and MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cardinals play at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, while the Suns and Mercury call the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix their home. The Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.

Phoenix also has the USL’s Phoenix Rising FC, playing at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium. The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events annually, such as the Fiesta Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl, WM Phoenix Open, NASCAR events, and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 MLB teams.