PROUD yet nerve-wracking.
This was the mixed feelings that Fil-American Alea Cruz Finnegan had in her auspicious Philippine team debut in the 31st Vietnam Southeast Asian Games women’s artistic gymnastics meet in Hanoi Saturday night.
In her maiden outing for the country of her mother’s birth, Finnegan anchored the PH women’s squad to the all-around team gold medal with her runner-up finish in the individual event at Quang Ngua Sports Palace in the Vietnamese capital.
The Louisiana State University varsity mainstay bagged the silver with an overall tally of 49.250 points performing in the floor exercise, balance beam, vault, and uneven bars.
Also aided by the 46.650 of fellow Fil-Am Chiara Andrew, the Pinay bets scored 184.500 points in ruling the event, breaking a 31-year-old gold medal drought in the team event.
The last time the national colors were raised, ‘and the Philippine anthem played in the women’s team event was during the 1991 Manila SEA Games through the exploits of Catherine Ocampo, Jean Elaine Santos, Jasmine Amanda Valenton, Lilyann Fortajada and Wednesday Reyes, according to former gymnastics secretary general Bettina Pou.
Beaming with pride on the victory podium with Finnegan this time around were teammates Andrew, Lucia Gabriel Gutierrez, Cristina Onofre-Loberanes, Ancilla Lucia Manzano and Kursten Roque Lopez.
“I feel really honored and proud with what me and my teammates accomplished here. This gold belongs to all of us,” said the Fil-Am athlete, whose feats were witnessed by her mother Linabelle.
“I was bit nervous, a bit nerve-wracking but didn’t think too much about it and focus on my performance. My mom was the first one I went to after and I could see she felt pretty proud what I had accomplished,” said Finnegan of the expectations of her as a former US national team member.
Also thrilled with the outcome was veteran Loberanes, who finally won her first gold medal after four straight SEA Games and was a bronze medalist in the same event in the 2015 Singapore edition of the regional meet.
“Magandang feeling po talagang maka-gold, at last. Memorable po talaga itong SEA Games na ito,” she enthused
“We have not won a gold in the women’s team event for more than three decades now, so this is a significant milestone not only for our gymnasts but also for the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines program,” said GAP president Cynthia from the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.
“This is absolutely unreal, and I am just really grateful that all the hard work we put in paid off,” said Andrew, who is the youngest member of the squad at 15 and, like Finnegan, was making her maiden appearance for the PH squad.
Carrion said that she was hopeful that Finnegan and her mom would make a side trip to Manila in inspiring the rest of the gymnasts back home.
In the meantime, Finnegan was bidding for more honors as she was set to compete in the vault event as the apparatus competitions started yesterday at the same arena.
