They changed the entire gymnastics qualifying process for this Olympics. The biggest change is that the number of athletes per team has been reduced from five to four (which would ideally free up spots for single gymnasts from countries that didn't qualify a full team). Countries can have up to two additional gymnasts on their Olympic roster if they earn an individual spot through the qualification process, but those gymnasts who qualify individually can't be a part of the team event.
So, what does all this have to do with Jade Carey? Well, because Carey made a decision a few years ago to opt out of the World Championships so that she could pursue the Olympics via the individual path. The 2018 World Championships were also the first qualifying event for teams, and had Carey been on that U.S. team, she wouldn't have been eligible to try for the individual spot.
While some people questioned it, it seemed like the right move for Carey at the time. She was very strong on vault and floor, but not as good on the uneven bars and balance beam. So, with the depth of U.S. women's gymnastics, her chances of being selected for a team of only four weren't that great. If she could make it as an individual, though, that seemed like a much more direct path to Tokyo.
It was a risk, but ultimately it paid off. She finished first in both the vault and floor at the World Cup series, thus doing what she set out to do and clinching an individual Olympic berth. Here's the catch, though...it was an Olympic berth for Jade Carey, not an Olympic berth for the United States.
That brings us to the present and this weekend's Olympic Trials. The top two finishers automatically qualify for the team, with the other two team members chosen by a selection committee. Over the past two years, Carey has improved dramatically in the all-around. So much so that she would realistically have a shot at being selected, which would leave her individual spot unfilled.
Heading into Trials, nobody knew what Carey was thinking. She said in April that she was planning on going to Trials and "see what happens," and U.S. Gymnastics National Team High Performance Director Tom Forster made it clear that the choice would be hers alone if Carey earned a spot on the team by finishing in the top two.
And, make no mistake, things are very different now than they were three years ago when she started this qualifying process. Going it individually was the more direct path to the Olympics, but being a part of the team is a more direct path to Olympic gold. The U.S. will be the overwhelming favorite in the team event. But, with Simone Biles in the picture, there's no guarantee of anything as an individual. So the choice really must've been a difficult one.
However, Carey has made her choice. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, she said that she has "every intention to accept the individual spot that I worked very hard to earn." So that put the question to rest. Carey will compete at Trials, but will forego the team event in Tokyo, thus opening the door for another American gymnast to be an Olympian as well.
When Carey first opted to go it alone, it probably came off as a selfish move to many. She was more concerned with making sure she got to go to the Olympics than what type of an impact her absence would have on the team (BTW, they still won the 2018 World Championship as a team without her). While I don't necessarily agree with that assessment (all athletes are a little selfish...they need to be!), I can see why some people would feel that way.
I'd argue that Carey's decision this week, however, was the exact opposite of selfish. She could've decided that she wanted to be on the four-woman team, get her gold medal there, and give up her individual spot. But she didn't do that. By taking the individual spot she earned, Carey made it so that somebody else can be on the team AND that the U.S. can send the maximum number of gymnasts to Tokyo. It really is a situation where everybody wins.
Besides, once they get to Tokyo, things won't be much different for Carey than it will be for the rest of the American gymnasts. Everybody has to compete on the first day anyway, since that's the qualifying round not just for the team final, but for the all-around and apparatus finals, as well. The only difference is that Carey won't compete in the team final and can't win a medal in that event.
Even though she isn't a member of the team, she can still qualify for the all-around if she's the second American behind Biles. Likewise, there's no guarantee Carey makes the apparatus finals (although I'd say the chances in vault and floor are probably pretty good). She'll still have to finish in the top eight (and be one of the top two Americans) to do that. So, literally, the only thing that's different is her scores don't count for the team!
Jade Carey earned an individual Olympic berth. There's no reason for her not to use it! And by doing so, she's putting somebody else on the team. Carey may not win a team gold in Tokyo. But, by making a decision only she could make, she's proven herself to be as big a part of the team as anybody.
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