First since 1964: Female Philippine gymnasts in the Olympics
We have featured Carlos Edriel Yulo here before and like me, many have followed his inspiring journey as the most successful Filipino gymnast in history. A six-time world champion medalist, he is the first Southeast Asian to win a bronze medal in floor exercise in the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the first to win gold in the same event the following year. He started training with the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) when he was seven.
While cheering for Caloy, netizens discovered three lovely Fil-Ams who all qualified and represented the Philippines in the Paris Olympics. While they bowed out from the medal competition early, all three gave an outstanding performance and relished their Olympian status representing the Philippines.
Aleah Cruz Finnegan, 21 years old from St. Louis, Missouri, started training at two. She joined many local and international competitions and even made it to the USA team from 2019 to 2021. She was a member of the team that won gold for the USA in the 2019 Pan-American Games.
In March 2021, she decided to represent the Philippines in international events. She joined the Philippines in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games, where she bagged the gold in the vault and led the Philippine team to first place in the team competition. Finnegan placed second in the all-around and balanced beams.
In 2023, she got the bronze medal for vault and balance beam in the Asian Championships. She also finished sixth in the all-around, which qualified her to compete at the World Championships. She got bronze in both vault and balance beam and finished fourth on floor exercise. She ranked 32 in the all-around and qualified for the Paris Olympics as an individual, making her the very first Filipina to be eligible since 1964.
Emma Lauren Malabuyo, 21, from Mountain View, California, was a five-time member of the US National Team from 2016 to 2019 and in 2021. She was an alternate for the 2020 US Team at the Tokyo Olympics.
Formally trained in gymnastics at seven, Malabuyo joined many competitions domestically and abroad. Occasionally, injuries forced her to stay on the sidelines temporarily. This sometimes cost her a place in the national team.
In 2019, she helped Team USA win the gold. Individually, she won bronze in the all-around, silver on balance beam, and silver on floor exercise. Mid-year she broke her tibia and was out for the season. She came back to compete in 2021 and finished ninth all-around. That earned her the alternate post in the Tokyo Olympics.
With Carlos Yulo and the Fil-Am trio of Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Ruivivar, the nation’s future in gymnastics will surely defy gravity as these inspiring young athletes soar to greater heights.
Malabuyo announced in 2023 that she decided to represent the Philippines in international competitions. Thus, in the 2023 Asian Championships, she helped the Philippine team secure the fifth slot. She won silver on floor exercise, which was the highest secured by a Filipina gymnast then.
In May this year, she competed at the Asian Championships and won bronze in the all-around and gold in the floor exercise. As the highest-ranking individual gymnast, she qualified to join the Paris Olympics.
Levi Jung-Ruivivar is an 18-year-old Fil-Am from Los Angeles, California. She is the granddaughter of Tony Ruivivar, a founding member of the Society of Seven that includes Bert Nievera (father of singer/host Martin Nievera). Her parents are both actors, Anthony Ruivivar (who played Carlos Nieto on Third Watch) and Yvonne Jung (who played Holly Levine in Third Watch).
Ruivivar started training in gymnastics when she was 18 months old. Like the other two Fil-Am gymnasts, she regularly joins all the major gymnastic tournaments.
She started with an elite competition in 2018, capping that year with a silver medal in both vault and uneven bars in the Tourney International held in Combs la Ville in France. She also won the all-around gold in the Espoir Division (12 to 13 years old).
In 2021, she won the gold on uneven bars and ranked sixth all-around in the 2021 Winter Cup. She was also named a member of the US Junior National Team. After recovering from surgery on both her wrists, she joined the 2021 Junior Pan-American Games, where she placed third in the all-around.
Ruivivar only became age-eligible for senior-level competition in 2022. After several rounds of competition from then until September 2023, she announced her decision to represent the Philippines in international tournaments.
After the World Cup Series in 2024, she earned 62 points on the uneven bars, which was her ticket to the Paris Olympics. She was the third gymnast to earn a spot after Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan.
She competed for the Philippines in the Asian Championships, where the Philippines finished seventh overall. She individually won a bronze medal that time on the uneven bars.
While all three gymnasts felt they could have done better since they made some mistakes, they all felt fulfilled to be genuine Olympian gymnasts and proud to compete for the Philippines.
Back in the United States, they still compete for their college teams in the NCAA. Their training and preparation are grueling. They push their bodies from a very young age, and all have suffered injuries. They value cross-training, recovery, physical conditioning, nutrition, sleep, and mental health.
With Carlos Yulo (and his two siblings who started to compete as gymnasts in Palarong Pambansa) and the Fil-Am trio of Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Ruivivar, the nation’s future in gymnastics will surely defy gravity as these inspiring young athletes soar to greater heights.