Jade Carey sets an example for future generations of gymnasts — Check out the gear college gymnast receive!

Jade Carey is Oregon State’s new student assistant coach.

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She will join Leanne Wong at Florida and Grace McCallum at Utah as high-profile elite athletes-turned-college coaches as she embarks on the next step of a storied career. Carey, of course, was a level 10 who became a world silver medalist on vault in 2017 and, ultimately, an Olympian for the first time in Tokyo, where she won a gold medal on floor.

She delayed her college career until after those Games (which were, of course, delayed for the pandemic) and began competing in the NCAA in 2022, after she participated in Simone Biles’ GOAT Tour. She went on to become a world champion on vault in 2022 and made her second Olympic team in 2024, where she was part of a team gold medal and won bronze on vault. 

Carey quickly became a star, not just for Oregon State but in the NCAA, appearing at nationals as an individual every year that she competed. She never won an NCAA title, much to the dismay of the gymternet. She did win the AAI Award in 2025, honoring the top female gymnast in the country. 

Carey was one of the first generation of gymnasts who did not have to choose between making money as a gymnast and competing in college. She set a new standard for gymnasts who choose to pursue a college degree and an elite gymnastics career at the same time, proving that it was entirely possible to achieve at the highest levels in both systems. 

Along with Wong, a 2021 World all-around and floor medalist, and McCallum, a Tokyo Olympian, Carey is blazing new trails for gymnasts who desire careers in the sport that extend well beyond their teenage years, and beyond even their own competitive years. Not every gymnast wants to become a coach, of course, but for athletes finishing degrees and deciding what comes next, a coaching job keeps them in the loop while exposing them to other, bigger opportunities.

It also allows them, if they want, to continue training in the sport if they want to continue in elite gymnastics. Carey has not committed to this, and McCallum has long since put herself out of the elite circuit, but Wong, who was the runner-up at the Xfinity U.S. National Championships, has continued to compete and aspires to make this year’s worlds team. 

And I would not put it past Carey to become an elite contender again once she settles into this next phase of her life and career.

Other gym news

Ever feel like all your favorite college gymnasts have the same names? You may not be wrong. College Gym News dives into NCAA name trends as compared to national trends in the U.S.   

Ellie Black: Not yet done with gymnastics.

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For all the leo fans out there: Michigan will recreate one legacy leo for the 2026 season, and fans are able to help choose it. Vote here!

Five at The IX: Paige Anastasi and the Clemson Gear Haul

Curious about the so-called athletic-wear Christmas that college gymnasts receive? Paige Anastasi, who just transferred to Clemson from UCLA, shows off all the goods in this video: