This Arizona Olympian Is Better Than Michael Jordan

In game five of the 1997 NBA Finals, the unstoppable Michael Jordan took the court while battling an extensive case of the Flu. Jordan wasn't phased, and went on to drop 38 points, leading the Bulls to a victory over the dangerous Utah Jazz.

27 years after that astounding feat of athleticism and leadership, one of Arizona's own stepped in to perform the same feat, but this time on a much bigger stage.

Jade Carey: From Phoenix to Paris

Born to a Phoenix couple in 2000, Jade Carey was born to stand out. Her parents owned a gym, so Carey got to work almost immediately after she left the womb. At the age of two years old, read that again, TWO YEARS OLD, Carey started her gymnastics career.

She showed promise throughout her high school and college runs, and began to win world championship after world championship. It was only natural then, that she became a part of the unbeatable Team USA. After winning gold with the team in 2020, she headed to Paris with one goal: Dominate.

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The Flu Game

The stage was set. Team USA had been blazing their way through the competition when disaster struck for Carey. On July 28th, she took the stage for her floor routine and fell down in the middle of the performance. Carey went to the press and told them she wasn't feeling well, and she knew it wasn't lack of preparation.

Turns out, the gymnast had a slight cold, but she came this far, nothing was going to stop her. She may have missed her chance at repeating as world floor champion, but she knew she needed to be on her A-game to help win the Team Gold.

Carey rebounded instantly and scored a 14.800 on vault, just .1 point lower than Simone Biles. This score helped carry Team USA to their fourth gold medal.

MJ may have won a finals game with the flu, but Jade Carey just became a world champion.

[Team USA]

[Prevention]

[The Register Guard]