Aleah Finnegan proud of old friend and fellow Paris Olympian Suni Lee

Filipina-American gymnast Aleah Finnegan relished her first-ever Summer Games stint and said doing it against her longtime friend Suni Lee of the United States made the 2024 Paris Olympics even more memorable.

"Suni’s incredibly talented and she just exudes confidence," Finnegan said on the sidelines of the PBA Season 49 opening rites where she served as muse for the Meralco Bolts on Sunday.

"She does compete for the States but she represents Asian heritage and that’s so beautiful and I’m so honored to be able to see her grow into the woman that she is right now."

The 21-year-old Finnegan revealed she's known Lee since she was 10 years old, having represented America as well before she decided to switch and represent the Philippines.

After years of competing together, Finnegan is just proud to see Lee, whose parents are immigrants from Laos, flourish after winning three medals in Paris, including a gold medal in the team all-around and two bronze from uneven bars and individual all-around.

"I’ve known Suni since I was maybe 10 years old so we’ve competed against each other for a long time now and even in university as well. I’m really grateful to have somebody like her as a friend," Finnegan added.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News