FILIPINO-American gymnast Aleah Finnegan won’t be returning home with any medal in her Philippine debut in the 52nd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
What Finnegan took back with her early yesterday morning (Monday night in Europe) from the 18,000-capacity Sportpaleis in Belgium’s chocolate capital may just be more priceless: a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Carried by her solid score of 13.400 points to finish 18th in the women’s vault event, the perky Louisiana State University varsity ace tallied 51.366 points to wind up 32nd overall in the women’s individual all-around qualifiers.
Finnegan’s other scores were 12.433, 12.700, and 12.833 in the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise, respectively.
Her output was enough to merit her fifth spot among the 14 qualifiers who will get to strut their wares in the biggest global sports stage in the French capital, and the first Filipina gymnast to do so as the country, fittingly, celebrates its centennial jubilee in the Summer Games.
The other Pinay entry, Kylee Kvamme, 17, finished in 63rd place with a score of 49.32 points from 13.400 in the vault, 12.266 in the uneven bars, 12.300 in the balance beam and 12.833 in the floor exercise.
For Finnegan, it helped that the US, Great Britian and Canada had already qualified for Paris based on their 1-2-3 finish in the women’s team event in the 2022 edition of the worlds in Manchester, England.
This was also abetted by Germany, Mexico and Hungary securing team tickets in Belgium, paving the way for Finnegan to move up the overall individual standings.
GAP deputy secretary general Rowena Eusuya, who is still handling the national team in the Hangzhou Asian Games, delightedly informed Malaya-Business of the good news yesterday after receiving the formal notice of Finnegan’s qualification by the International Gymnastics Federation, the world body known by its French acronym FIG.
She will be the third Pinoy qualifier for the Paris Summer Games after pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena and national teammate Carlos Edriel Yulo, who made it by placing third in the floor exercise event of the men’s individual all-around qualifiers over the weekend.
“My goodness, I can’t help but be really emotional. It is like a dream come true!” exclaimed Finnegan, 20, of her achievement in an interview yesterday.
“I am just thankful for the Philippines for giving me this opportunity that I would never have been able to do otherwise,” she stressed.
“Just to be here to honor my family and the Philippines and my dad (Don), who is in heaven, and all the people who put in so many sacrifices for me, to be here is a dream come true,” added Finnegan, who won a gold medal in the team event for the US during the 2019 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico.
“Aleah’s achievement is both wonderful and amazing,” gushed Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion. “That we now have two Olympic gymnasts for Paris is remarkable.”
When informed that Finnegan’s landmark feat occurred during her watch, Carrion replied: “This is not about me but about our athletes. They all deserve the glory and honor. We are just there to create an environment of excellence so that they can thrive in international play. We are just glad that in some way we have contributed in developing our sport.”
