Jade Carey Says Simone Biles Reminds Gymnasts to ‘Have Fun’ amid Pressure: ‘She’s Really Awesome’
Carey #Carey
It won’t be hard to forget Jade Carey’s name this July at the Tokyo Olympics.
Carey, 21, is currently the only U.S. gymnast who has already earned a place on Team USA. Though Simone Biles is practically a certainty for the top spot, the official roster will be announced following the U.S. Trials this weekend (June 24-27) in St. Louis.
“It would be amazing just to be there and represent my country. It’s unbelievable,” Carey told PEOPLE in a previous interview. “Just being a role model for little kids is a really cool thing that happens.”
Carey, herself, looks up to defending Olympic all-around gold medalist Biles, 24. “She definitely just reminds us to have fun and she’s just really awesome,” Carey said. “Like we know that we can go to her for anything because she’s been there and she’s done it all so she knows exactly how everything goes.”
RELATED: Jade Carey Says She’ll Accept Individual Spot on U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team: ‘I Worked Very Hard’
In April, Carey earned her place at the Tokyo Games thanks to strong performances at four World Cup competitions starting in 2018. Six women will be named to the team – two team member spots will be given to the first and second all-around finishers at this weekend’s trials while the remaining spots will be selected by a committee. Expected to lead the pack are Biles, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles.
Video: From Sha’Carri Richardson to Simone Biles, Black women set to lead Team USA in Olympics (USA TODAY)
From Sha’Carri Richardson to Simone Biles, Black women set to lead Team USA in Olympics
SHARE
SHARE
TWEET
SHARE
Click to expand
UP NEXT
“Definitely vault and floor are my strongest events. I can put up a pretty good score on those two,” said Carey, who in June unveiled a triple-twisting double layout on floor, a skill no female gymnast has ever competed with. (She also has three world championship medals and the top spot in the World Cup standings on vault and floor.)
As she preps for the Games, Carey said she’s aiming “to really enjoy it all ’cause it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” adding, “I just want to be able to remember it and enjoy it all, but also just compete really well and represent my country good.”
Lucky for Carey, she’s already clinched a spot on the roster amid a very competitive group of gymnasts.
For previous Olympic Summer Games, gymnastics teams consisted of five members. However, the decision to reduce to four members was made in 2015 by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) as a way to narrow the competitive gap for smaller countries. Thus, in Tokyo, countries will be competing with four team members and two individual spots.
RELATED VIDEO: Simone Biles Makes History by Nailing Two Signature Moves – and One Is Now Named After Her
“I have every intention to accept the individual spot that I worked very hard to earn by competing in the Apparatus World Cup Series spanning from 2018-2020 when officially offered to me,” Carey shared on Instagram this month prior to the U.S. Championships in Texas. “My focus right now is preparing to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and being able to contribute to Team USA in any way possible.”
Carey is still expected to compete at this weekend’s trials despite her decision.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer on NBC.