The three Filipino-American artistic gymnasts made impressive debuts for the Philippines at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, despite an early exit after the women’s qualification rounds ended on Sunday at the Bercy Arena.
Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, and Levi Ruivivar delivered show-stopping performances that, despite their scores, reflected well on their debuts.
Malabuyo and Ruivivar both ended with a total score of 51.099, finishing in 40th and 41st places after the five subdivisions ended Monday morning (Philippine time).
Ruivivar, the 2023 World Cup silver medalist on the uneven bars, scored 13.200 in the same apparatus to boost her total.
The 18-year-old gymnast, the youngest Olympian on the Philippines’ Centennial Team, concluded her routine with a strong finish after struggling on the balance beam (11.866) and floor exercise (12.433 after a 0.1-point deduction).
(C) FIG
Ruivivar then achieved a score of 13.266 on vault, setting up her strong finish, while Malabuyo earned her best score on the same apparatus with 13.266. Malabuyo received solid scores on the balance beam (12.233) and floor (13.100), before ending the day with 12.500 on the uneven bars.
On the other hand, Aleah Finnegan needed a similar bounce-back after an uncharacteristic struggle on the beam with a score of 11.466.
The 31st Southeast Asian Games vault champion excelled in her floor routine, scoring 12.733, and achieved an average score of 13.733 on the vault.
A score of 12.566 on the uneven bars concluded Finnegan’s qualification campaign.
The three gymnasts will be setting their sights on improvement for another shot at Olympic glory four years later in the same country where they all started the sport—the United States.
