FOR practical and convenient purposes, Paris Olympic Games veteran Aleah Finnegan is setting up training camp in the country for the 53rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships next month in Jakarta, Indonesia and the 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games in December.
“I started last week at the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines gym in Intramuros for the world championships next month and the upcoming SEA Games in December,” said Finnegan during the PSC Stakeholders Forum held at the Solaire Resort Hotel in Paranaque the other day.
The former Louisiana State University varsity standout, who won the floor exercise gold medal in the US NCAA championships in 2024 when the LSU Tigers copped team honors, arrived in the country last week with her mother Linabelle through the invitation of Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion.
“I’m really excited to be here and train. It makes it a lot easier for me to train for the two international events. And I am glad that the GAP has welcomed me with open arms,” said Finnegan, who graduated with a Business Management degree from LSU, of her training stint in Manila.
“The training environment can be a little bit different but at the end of the day, it is all the same. I am just thankful that I can (still) do it in this amazing sport,” the comely gymnast said.
A double bronze medalist in the 2023 Asian Gymnastics Championships in Singapore, Finnegan is looking forward to competing at the world meet in the Indonesian capital with national teammate and fellow Paris Olympian Emma Malabuyo.
“Emma and I will be competing with two other women’s gymnasts at the worlds in Jakarta. I’m excited and think I am better prepared for it this time,” said the athlete, who made her PH debut in the 2023 edition in Antwerp, Belgium.
“Competing at the worlds for the second time is something we look forward to because this was where we qualified for the Paris Olympic Games during our debut at the worlds in Antwerp,” she recalled. “I am excited to be there again.”
Although she will be doing her build-up in the country for the two international meets, Finnegan said that she will periodically consult with her former LSU coaches monitoring her training.
Although Thai organizers have limited the number of events in women’s artistic gymnastics to just four, dropping the team and individual all-around events, she is keen on bringing home the bacon from the regional meet once more.
“The goal is to bring back (golden) hardware to the Philippines, especially now that I am really more prepared to compete among the best of the best in the region,” she said.
The Fil-Am bet had a memorable maiden performance in the Vietnam SEA Games in 2022, anchoring the PH squad to the women’s team crown on top of a mint in the vault plus a silver each in the individual all-around and balance beam events.
She said the gymnasts vying in the Thai Games will be restricted to competing in three individual apparatus, and she has chosen to see action in the vault, beam and floor exercise.
Eager to share her skills and knowledge with budding local gymnasts, Finnegan said that she will find the time to train some of them as she practices at the GAP gym in Intramuros for the rest of the year.
