Get to know the Filipina gymnasts in the Paris 2024 Olympics
The Paris 2024 Olympics may have come to an end, but Filipinos continue to beam with pride as everyone calls this the “Golden Era of Philippine Sports.”
This is because of the hard work of Filipino athletes who brought home multiple medals from the Olympic Games, which include Carlos Yulo with two gold medals and Filipina boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas with one bronze each.
Of course, the Philippines also recognizes other athletes who represented the country, like the three amazing Filipina gymnasts, Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Ruivivar, who caught the attention of viewers with their stunning performances in their respective categories.
Although they fell short of bringing Olympic medals, together with conflicts with the recent homecoming for Filipino athletes, they remain proud of their roots and hopeful to come back stronger in their next competitions.
“I am truly excited to continue competing for the Philippines, and I look forward to taking every opportunity to come to the Philippines and hopefully inspire the new generation of Filipina gymnasts that are the future,” Levi Ruivivar said on Instagram.
Get to know more about these amazing Filipina gymnasts in this gallery:
Aleah Finnegan
Aleah Finnegan is a US-born Filipina gymnast who, at the young age of 21, has achieved multiple medals from different international gymnastics competitions like the Pan American Games, Asian Championships, and Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).
USA
Before representing the Philippines in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Aleah Finnegan previously played for the United States. However, she continues to practice gymnastics internationally as she competes for the LSU (Louisiana State University) Tigers gymnastics team.
Beginnings
Aleah Finnegan started gymnastics in 2005 and trained at the Great American Gymnastics Express in 2008.
Emma Malabuyo
Like her teammate Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo is a US-born Filipina gymnast. Before she played for the Philippines, she was a five-time member of the U.S. National Team and was an alternate for the 2020 Olympic Team.
Medals
Despite her young career in the Philippine National Team, Emma Malabuyo has brought home multiple medals for the country from the 2023 and 2024 Asian Championships.
Debut
Emma Malabuyo officially makes her Olympic debut after playing for the Philippines at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Levi Jung-Ruivivar
Levi Jung-Ruivivar is the youngest among the PH Women's Gymnastics Team, competing at only 18 years old. According to Levi, she showed interest in the sports when she was only 18 months old or after she attended a trial gymnastics class in 2007.
Homecoming
Levi Jung-Ruivivar was also the one who clarified the absence of the PH Women's Gymnastics Team at the grand Heroes Welcome for Filipino Olympians, saying there was a miscommunication about the supposed attendees of the event.
Levi said she was hurt after missing the Heroes Welcome since it was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and she did not have the chance to celebrate the fruit of hard work and sacrifices she made for the Philippines.
