Fil-Am gymnast Aleah Finnegan, an NCAA national champion with the LSU Tigers, looks back on her historic Olympics stint for Team Philippines last year.
Aleah Finnegan made her lifelong dream a reality when the Filipina-American gymnast represented the Philippines in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 last year.
Looking back, the 22-year-old is still beaming with pride for making the most of a lifetime opportunity.
“It’s such an honor. Being able to represent my mom, family and the women’s gymnastics for the Philippines at the Olympics was such an honor,” Finnegan said in an interview with espnW.
Together with Levi Jung-Ruivivar and Emma Malabuyo, the trio made history as they became the first women's gymnasts to represent the Philippines in the Olympics since Tokyo 1964.
Finnegan landed at the 47th spot in Paris 2024 with 50.498 points in the all-around competition, with Ruivivar and Malabuyo finishing 40th and 41st, respectively.
[ALSO READ: Paris 2024: Levi Jung-Ruivivar, Emma Malabuyo, Aleah Finnegan end historic Olympic campaign]
But despite the early exit, Finnegan adorned herself to fans, with Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers teammate Haleigh Bryant lauding Aleah for finally fulfilling a childhood dream.
“My favorite moment is watching Aleah Finnegan compete. It was just something that she dreamt about since she was a little girl and just watching her fulfill her dreams,” Bryant admitted.
[ALSO READ: "I am honored to wear this flag on my chest" | Aleah Finnegan is one proud Filipina after first taste of Olympics in Paris 2024]
Finnegan, who started representing the country in 2022 after being part of the United States gymnastics team, also revealed her most unforgettable non-sporting moment throughout the event.
“My favorite moment that was not competition-related was the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. We were just having the time of our lives.”
Currently, Finnegan is in the middle of the Tigers’ campaign in the 2025 US NCAA Division 1 season. After five weeks of play, LSU is at no. 3 in the team rankings, while Aleah is 10th in the individual rankings.