DOHA: Jade Carey was elated after the American took another step towards individual qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games by winning the women’s vault crown with 14.883 points at the 12th FIG ART Individual Apparatus World Cup here on Friday.
The win will boost her World Cup Series ranking total to an 85, putting her first in the vault race and leaving her just 5 points back from a “perfect 90”.
But Carey, silver medalist at the 2017 Worlds in Montreal (CAN), played it down after her gold-winning performance at the Aspire Dome.
“I’m not sure. I’m just trying to get better each day and upgrading my level. Hopefully, I will make it,” Carey told www.dohagym.com.
Russia’s Maria Paseka (RUS) and Coline Devillard (FRA) finished second and third respectively.
Carey topped a highly competitive field that included two-time Olympic vault medalist Paseka and Oksana Chusovitina (UZB), who finished fifth.
The American had won a silver in the same event in Cottbus (GER) late last year and followed it up with a gold in Baku (UZB) last week. Two gold medals and a silver should put her in the fray for an Olympic berth.
On competing in a field that had 43-year-old Oksana, Carey added, “She’s really awesome. I watched her when I was a little girl. It gave me a great feeling to compete alongside her.”