FILIPINA gymnast Aleah Finnegan will be competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, earning a spot through the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
Finnegan placed 32nd during the qualification of the women’s all-around on Tuesday, enough to secure one of the 14 Olympic berths reserved for individuals, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) confirmed.
Finnegan joins Carlos Yulo in the Philippine gymnastics team bound for Paris.
It is also the first time since 1964 that a female gymnast from the Philippines will compete in the Olympics after Evelyn Magluyan and Maria Luisa Floro saw action 59 years ago in Tokyo.
The 20-year-old Finnegan made it to the Olympics just a year after deciding to compete for the Philippines. She previously competed for the US, bagging silver in the team all-around during the 2019 Pan-American Games.
“I'm just so thankful for the Philippines for giving this opportunity for me that I would never have been able to take otherwise,” said a teary-eyed Finnegan in an interview with Olympics.com. “Just to be here to honoring my family in the Philippines and honoring my dad who's in heaven and all the people who just put in so many sacrifices for me to be here, it's really just a dream come true.”
Still competing for NCAA Division I Louisiana State University, Finnegan debuted for the country in the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games, earning gold in the team all-around, and vault, and silver in the individual all-around and balance beam.
Making it to Paris capped off an impressive year for Finnegan that saw her capture two bronze medals in the vault and balance beam of the 2023 Asian Championships. She also captured a silver in the floor exercise of the NCAA women’s gymnastics tournament.
Finnegan totaled 51.366 after scores of 13.400 in the vault, 12.433 in the uneven bars, 12.700 in the balance beam, and 12.333 in the floor during the individual all-around qualification ruled by Simone Biles of the United States.
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