"We're not just robots in gymnastics" - Olympic champion Jade Carey credits Simone Biles for putting spotlight on mental health

American gymnastics Olympian Jade Carey recently opened up about how her teammate Simone Biles inspired her and other gymnasts after withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Carey explained that it gave her and other gymnasts a wake-up call that they are humans, not machines.

Carey participated in the second Olympic event of her career in Paris earlier in July. The American star secured a gold and a bronze in the French capital. She was a part of the American team that won the team all-around gold for the first time since the 2016 Rio Olympics and won a bronze in the individual vault apparatus, marking the second individual medal of her career.

However, she had a forgettable outing in the floor exercise apparatus where she was defending her gold from the Tokyo Olympics, finishing in 74th place with a score of 10.633.

After the Paris Olympics, Carey opened up with Olympics.com about how gymnastics takes a toll on the athletes and reflected that Simone Biles' withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics served as an inspiration for her and fellow gymnasts. She mentioned that Biles made those struggling with mental health realize the importance of seeking help rather than suffering in silence.

"I think after Tokyo and Simone using her voice about mental health and how we need to take care of ourselves, it really made us all kind of take a step back and realize that we're not just robots out there in gymnastics. We have minds that we have to take care of as well," she said.

"She not only inspired me, but I know she inspired so many others just to seek help, talk to someone, because it's not easy to do on your own," Carey added.

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"Bringing home a vault medal was such a big goal of mine" - Jade Carey reflects on her Paris Olympics campaign

Jade Carey at the Olympic Games-Paris 2024 (Image via Getty)

Following her success at the Paris Olympics, Jade Carey shared a heartfelt note on Instagram. She said that securing a spot on the Olympic team and winning the vault medal had been among her top goals for the year.

Carey captioned the post:

"Redemption tour complete. Making this olympic team and bringing home a vault medal was such a big goal of mine. thank you to everyone for all of your love and support. this moment wouldn’t have been possible without you all. always trust the process and believe in the power of your dreams."

During a conversation with Olympics.com, Jade Carey said that she dedicated more time to working on her elite gymnastics skills this year than she ever had.