Aleah Finnegan has won gold with the US team before, so why switch to the Philippines?
Filipinos can always be counted on to deliver a feast.
And Filipina-American gymnast Aleah Finnegan is pretty happy to show off this part of her culture while living in the United States, as she recounted to One PH's Power and Play on Saturday her favorite Pinoy tradition.
"Just being able to host a feast. My mom cooks an amazing spread. All my friends come and I have yet to hear a single bad thing about her cooking," Finnegan boasted about her mother, who was born and raised in Manila.
Wonder who gets the last lumpia?
Finnegan also shared that her favorite Pinoy delicacies are all-time favorites: pansit and chicken adobo.
The 20-year-old Finnegan is one of the four Filipinos who have secured spots in the 2024 Paris Olympics, along with fellow gymnast Carlos Yulo, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, and boxer Eumir Marcial.
She has already won gold with the US team during the 2019 Pan American Games. So, why shift to the Philippines?
"To get back to my mom who has made so many sacrifices, to represent the people I love," she told host Noli Eala.
Finnegan said she was supposed to move on from gymnastics when the chance to wear the Philippine flag came up.
"It was too good an opportunity to pass up when it was handed right in front of you," she said. "I kinda closed that chapter of my life and was gonna move on going to university. But the door was open. I'm really thankful I was able to take that leap of faith."
That jump led her to winning two gold medals in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games team event and the vault, along with a couple of silvers in all-around and balance beam.
She also won two bronze medals in the vault and the balance beam of the 2023 Asian Championships.
Her favorite event, though, is the floor exercise.
"It's a little bit more personal," she said. "Get to show off your personality a little bit."
While Finnegan considers herself to be "pretty well-rounded," she is looking to up the ante when it comes to difficulty on the road to Paris.
But she's ready to banner the Philippine flag despite the challenges wherever she goes, even in her home state of Missouri and as she studies business marketing in Louisiana State University.
"I think coming to the States and people kinda look at you sideways when you eat something different," Finnegan recalled. "People say what they want to but I'm proud of who I am."
Too bad. They're gonna miss out on the pancit, lumpia, and chicken adobo.
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MDB)