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Jade Carey: Six things to know about Simon Biles replacement after her Olympics exit

The 21-year-old is set to compete in the event while Biles focuses on her mental health for the rest of the Olympics, USA Gymnastics announced

BY KUNAL DEY

PUBLISHED JUL 28, 2021

Jade Carey (L) will enter the Tokyo Olympics all-around competition on Thursday, July 29, in place of star gymnast Simone Biles (R) (Photo by Lawrence Griffiths/Getty Images for Tokyo Games 2020)

All eyes are on Jade Carey as she takes on the biggest challenge in her gymnastics career - entering the Tokyo Olympics all-around competition on Thursday, July 29, in place of star gymnast Simone Biles.

The 21-year-old is set to compete in the event while Biles focuses on improving her mental health for the rest of the Olympics, USA Gymnastics announced. The latter will reportedly be evaluated on a daily basis to determine whether she can participate in next week's individual event finals. Carey, who will participate in her place in the all-around, has piqued the interest of fans following the news.

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"After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles was withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health," USA Gymnastics said in a statement Wednesday, July 28. "We wholeheartedly support Simone’s decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many."

Simone Biles warms up on the beam prior to the Senior Women's competition of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on June 06, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Carey, her replacement, was the third-best American in the qualification round of the Olympics earlier this week when she finished with a 56.265 in the all-around. However, she was well behind Biles, who finished first, and Sunisa Lee, who clinched the second position.

According to Fox News, Carey scored a 15.166 in the vault, 14.133 in the uneven bars, 12.866 in the balance beam, and 14.100 in the floor. The 21-year-old has reportedly bagged gold in the vault and floor competitions in the 2020 Melbourne World Cup and the 2019 Doha World Cup, and Baku World Cup. Here are six things you may not know about the up-and-coming sensation.

Jade Carey competes on the beam during the 2021 GK U.S. Classic gymnastics competition at the Indiana Convention Center on May 22, 2021, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Carey's favorite skill is a Double-Double on Floor

Last year, Carey revealed to Popsugar the one skill she wouldn't be tired of doing for the rest of her life: A double-twisting double backflip on floor.

She might just get a triple-double layout named after her

Carey performed a stunning triple-twisting double back layout during a training session in the lead-up to the 2021 US Gymnastics Championships. The floor skill constitutes three twists and two flips in a laid-out position. International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) judge Emily Chan told Popsugar that the skill is the "most difficult floor tumbling pass in women's gymnastics" as of date.

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

Should Carey execute it seamlessly at the Olympics, she could very well have the skill named after her in the women's gymnastics rulebook, also known as the Code of Points. Chan told Popsugar that the move would likely be valued higher than Biles' eponymous triple-double.

Jade Carey is also a student-athlete at Oregon State University

The promising athlete deferred Oregon State as she continues to compete on the national and international stage. She will be joining the OSU gymnastics team in time for the 2022 season, per the OSU website.

She visualizes her routines before performing them

Jade Carey of Team United States competes on the balance beam during Women's Qualification on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

"Before I compete on each event, I just picture in my mind the routine that I want to do and how well I want to do it, just to kind of mentally prepare for what I want to do and know I can do," Carey told Popsugar last year.

Carey and her teammates have a rather intimidating ab routine

Jade Carey competes on the balance beam during the Senior Women's competition of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on June 06, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

She told the outlet how her team would complete an ab circuit at gymnastics practice. According to her, the routine features about 25 different floor exercises, including hollow holds, hollow body rocks, V-ups, single-leg V-ups, straddle V-ups, and arch ups.

Her favorite event is Vault

Jade Carey of USA performs on Vault during Women's Qualification on Day 2 of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships on October 05, 2019, in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Speaking to Popsugar, Carey also revealed that vault was her favorite out of the four events in women's gymnastics. It's worth noting that she already has a skill named after her in the Junior Olympic Code of Points called "The Carey." The move is described as a "tucked Kasamatsu full," and it was entered in the rulebook after she performed it at the 2016 Junior Olympic Championships.