Oregon State gymnast Jade Carey recently punched her ticket to becoming a two-time Olympian when she qualified for the 2024 Paris Games on July 1.
Her first trip came in 2021, when she competed in the 2020 Tokyo Games that were pushed back a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tokyo 2020 was as successful as it could've been for the then-21 year old Carey, who won a gold medal on floor.
Despite getting to come home from Tokyo a champion, there was more to be desired for Carey. As her and her Olympic teammates kept in touch, one word kept coming up — redemption.
"Me and the (group) of us that were there last time have all been talking about how we want redemption," Carey said. "There was always something that could have gone better for each and every one of us."
One of the first major pieces of that redemption would come from the very circumstances of the Games. With the pandemic still in full swing, the experience Carey had was different from that of any other Olympic Games.
"We didn't get that normal experience," Carey said. "Having a crowd in the arena this time around is going to be very cool ... And just being able to stay in the Village. Last time we were quarantined in hotels by ourselves, and now this time we're going to be able to be in the village, meet other athletes and experience that."
The quarantine extended into how the actual events were carried out, with Carey and others competing in what was essentially a silent gym.
"It was just weird," Carey said. "It didn't feel like a real competition. Like it did, but it didn't. You know you're at the Olympic Games, but nobody is in there. So it just felt like another day."
The next piece of her redemption tour is finding herself in the final of not just the floor, but the vault event as well. At the 2020 Games, Carey was considered a medal favorite in both. Vault didn't go her way as she finished eighth in the competition, but did get her gold on floor. The expectations that Carey have set for herself is to be in the final of both events in Paris.
"The expectations come from myself more than anyone else," Carey said. "In 2021, I wanted a gold in vault and floor. I didn't get it on vault. So I think for me, vault is one of my biggest redemptions. Just making that final, proving that I belong there and that I can medal again."
Carey went on to say that with the crowd in the picture and her family in the stands coupled with her past experience as an Olympian, she's got as good a shot as anyone to help bring home a team gold medal.
"I've been there," Carey said about how her past experience will help translate in 2024. "I've been through it all before. That experience helps. If I could do it then — under those circumstances and without a crowd — I can do it again with those things."
The 2024 Olympic Games are set to begin on July 26 in Paris, France, with the gymnastics events slated to get under way on July 28.
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