Aleah Finnegan, Lauren Hoffman, and Sam Catantan showed their support and encouragement towards fellow Olympian Levi Jung-Ruivivar as she goes through a health issue.
It was not the dream start to 2025 for Levi Jung-Ruivivar.
The Paris 2024 Olympian revealed that she is suffering from an eating disorder, prompting the Filipina gymnast to take a leave of absence and recover.
Jung-Ruivivar made the announcement just a few days after the 2025 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics competition started.
“I have decided to redshirt this season and take a brief leave of absence from Stanford (just the winter quarter) to heal from an eating disorder I have been struggling with,” the 20-year freshman said in a lengthy statement on Thursday, January 23.
Although initially hesitant in sharing some information on her struggles, Jung-Ruivivar decided to open up about her condition to spread awareness.
“I struggled with an eating disorder prior to my time at [World Olympic Gymnastics Academy] and Stanford. I felt the disorder was infringing on my ability to fully enjoy these aspects of my life; it was pulling an abundant amount of my mental and physical energy away from the things I hold dear,” she added.
The gymnast made it a point to emphasize that there are different kinds of eating disorders and their severity varies, but they all negatively impact an athlete mentally and physically.
"As a elite athlete, I felt it was vital to stop the damage it was doing to my body and mind by seeking help," she wrote.
Fellow Filipino Olympians Aleah Finnegan, Lauren Hoffman and Sam Catantan showed their support on social media.
“You’re so strong. Sending you so much love,” Finnegan commented.
Photo: Instagram/@levijungruivivar
The gymnast though is not a stranger to health issues.
It can be recalled that the Filipina-American suffered a health scare prior to the start of Paris 2024, experiencing a "severe allergic reaction" during an evening walk in the Olympic Village.
[ALSO READ: "100% safe and healthy” | Levi Jung-Ruivivar on the mend after suffering health scare ahead of Paris 2024]
She eventually managed to overcome the medical issue and compete in the women's all-around qualification.
The trio of Jung-Ruivivar, Finnegan, and Emma Malabuyo became the first female gymnasts to represent the country in the Olympics in six decades.
Although the first-time Olympians came empty-handed, their appearance proved a major breakthrough for the sport. It was also in gymnastics where the Philippines won two gold medals in the same competition, courtesy of Carlos Yulo.
[ALSO READ: Paris 2024: Levi Jung-Ruivivar, Emma Malabuyo, Aleah Finnegan end historic Olympic campaign]
Stanford’s women’s gymnastics team also shared their support to Jung-Ruivivar in a post on X, formerly Twitter, with the caption: "Supporting you every step of the way.”