Second time's the charm! US gymnast Jade Carey, 21, wins GOLD on the floor exercise with a spectacular routine - after devastating error in the vault final saw her miss out on a medal
US gymnast Jade Carey flipped and tumbled her way to Olympic glory on Monday, when she claimed gold in the floor exercise final - an event that many had expected her teammate Simone Biles to win, before she pulled out of the competition.
The 21-year-old, from Arizona, put up a sensational routine in the final, pulling off a series of difficult and risky moves, which helped her to blow past the competition and earn her first-ever Olympic medal.
Carey's victory on the floor was made all the more meaningful because it came just 24 hours after she missed out on a medal in the vault final, following a shock error that saw her plummet into last place, having gone into the competition as one of the top contenders for a medal.
The newly-crowned floor exercise champion had an agonizing wait to find out if she had claimed a medal, having gone second in the competition - leaving six other athletes with the chance to overtake her impressive score of 14.366.
She stood alongside her dad, Brian Carey, who is also her coach, watching on as gymnast after gymnast tried, and failed, to best her performance, before her medal win was finally confirmed.
Champion: US gymnast Jade Carey has won gold in the floor exercise final, following her teammate Simone Biles' decision to drop out over issues with her mental health
Sky high: The 21-year-old pulled off a near-perfect routine and she finished the final with an overall score of 14.366
Flippin' amazing! Carey, from Arizona, became one of the favorites to win gold following Biles' withdrawal from the event
Going for gold: Carey's win on floor landed her on the Olympic podium for the first time
Speaking to Today show anchor Hoda Kotb just moments after her win, Carey shared her joy at winning Olympic gold, describing her victory as 'a dream'.
'It means everything to me, this is all I've ever dreamed of and all I've ever worked for and I'm really glad it paid off tonight,' she said.
Despite her disappointing performance in the vault final, Carey said that she went into the floor final feeling confident, explaining that she had been consistently pulling off good routines in training, which made her feel all the more sure of herself ahead of her last Olympic event.
'Last night was definitely hard for me but I knew I wasn't done yet,' she shared. 'I did actually [feel confident]. I just had to remember that training has been going well so I just needed to do me.'
Being able to celebrate her gold medal alongside her dad made the moment even more emotional for Carey - who confessed that she started crying when her father looked down and told her she was an Olympic champion.
'He said: "You did it, you're an Olympic champion," and then I almost started crying. I think I did cry actually,' she said.
Carey's win on the floor makes her the third consecutive US gymnast to claim the title of Olympic champion on the event - an honor that was previously held by Biles, who took it over from 2012 winner Aly Raisman.
Emotional: Speaking to the Today show's Hoda Kotb moments after her win, Carey described her victory as a 'dream'
Momentous: 'It means everything to me, this is all I've ever dreamed of and all I've ever worked for and I'm really glad it paid off tonight,' she said
Holding on: Carey's win makes her the third consecutive US gymnast to claim Olympic gold in the floor final event
Biles had gone into the Tokyo Games as the favorite to claim the floor exercise gold, however after she withdrew from the final because of issues with her mental health, the title victory became anyone's to win - with Carey quickly becoming a top contender, having qualified for the event in third place.
The gymnast, who was the second athlete to compete in the final, managed to maintain her composure throughout her routine, which is one of the most difficult in the world and is packed with skills that give her a serious edge over the competition.
Unlike several of the other women competing in the competition, Carey did not put a single toe out of line during her routine, taking only the smallest of steps throughout, which enabled her to surge past everyone else in the lineup.
Italy's Vanessa Ferrari, 30, managed to clinch the silver medal behind Carey with a score of 14.2, while the bronze was shared by Japan's Mai Murakami and Russian athlete Angelina Melnikova, both of whom finished on 14.166.
As with many of the other event finals, it had been assumed at the start of this year's Olympics that Biles would be the one standing atop the podium at the end of the floor final, however her decision to bow out of the competition meant that the race for gold was blown wide open.
Family first: Carey is coached by her father Brian, who embraced his daughter with a warm hug after learning that she had won gold
Emotional: The gymnast admitted that she was reduced to tears by her father's first words to her after her win, revealing that he simply said, 'You did it, you're an Olympic champion'
Congratulations! Carey's win was made all the more joyful because it came just 24 hours after she made a disappointing error in the vault final, which saw her end up in last place
Success! The gymnast qualified for an individual spot at the Olympics, which meant that she did not take part in the team final, where the US won gold
Instead of competing, Biles appeared as a spectator and cheerleader during the floor final, yelling and clapping Carey on as she flipped and tumbled her way to victory.
The floor final medal is the first piece of Olympic hardware that Carey has won; the Arizona native qualified for an individual spot at the Games and therefore did not take part in the team final, where Team USA won silver following Biles' shock decision to withdraw after just one event.
Carey actually got an additional shot at a medal as a result of Biles pulling out of the all-around final however, when she was named as the replacement athlete, having only missed out on a spot in the line up because of a rule which states only two gymnasts from each country can compete in a final.
She ended up finishing in a very respectable eighth place, while her teammate Sunisa Lee surged to victory in the hotly-contested final.
Carey's second shot at a medal came in Sunday's vault final, which she had widely been expected to win following Biles' withdrawal. However, she faced serious disappointment when she faltered on her run-up for her first vault and was forced to perform a very simple, low-scoring skill that saw her drop to eighth place overall.
The gymnast was reduced to tears following the error and was seen being comforted by her father as her dreams of winning the event were quickly dashed.
