Emma Malabuyo talks about her parents' consistent presence in her sporting career as well as her previous encounters with fellow Olympian Carlos Yulo.
As gymnast Emma Malabuyo looks back on her journey to Paris 2024, one word came to mind – resilience.
And that was rooted in her solid support system, her family.
“My word is resilience,” the 21-year-old Malabuyo said.
She quickly added: "I think it also comes down to my family. They believe in me so much; I think more than I believe in myself."
Malabuyo, who fulfilled her dream of qualifying to Paris 2024 with the Philippine team after serving as a U.S. gymnastics team alternate in the Tokyo Olympics held three years ago, went on to share the impact of her family's continuous encouragement, adding that her parents' constant presence in her sporting life enabled her to make the push towards achieving her goal.
"Sometimes, when I'm feeling a little bit unmotivated or I don't know if I'm capable of reaching a certain goal, they're always encouraging me and no matter what, they are supporting me. So I think what really pushed me to make it here is both my parents. They showed up to every single international meet. So having them be there by my side, I don't think they ever missed any competition in my whole entire life," said the California-born Malabuyo.
Two days into her training sessions in Metz, France at the time of the interview, Malabuyo said that she was still adjusting, but believes that she is improving.
"Today was just all about adjusting to the equipment and still adjusting to the time change. So I did a lot of bars, beam and floor work today. Still getting used to the bars, but I did parts of my routine. And for beam, still adjusting as well. But I did full beam routines and then floor.
"I was just a little bit tired today just because it's so hot in here. Still adjusting to the heat and all of that. But overall, I think I'm making progress and it felt like a good practice," Malabuyo said.
Malabuyo joins Aleah Finnegan, Levi Ruivivar and Carlos Yulo as the country's gymnastics bets for Paris 2024.
She shared a story of her previous encounter with 24-year-old Yulo in a junior competition in Japan when they were still teenagers.
Malabuyo remembered how she got impressed seeing Yulo, then a "tiny and scrawny" kid, represent the Philippines and how surprised she was to see how he has grown muscular after seeing him six years later.
She described him as "very shy and nice" in their first meeting, and as a "very funny person."
"I met Carlos in 2017 in a junior Japan competition. I was 13 years old and he was 15 or 16 and he was like, really tiny and scrawny, a little bit, and I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, he's representing the Philippines! This is so cool!' So that was the first time I met him and he was very shy and really nice," shared Malabuyo.
"And then when I saw him again in 2023, last year, I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, you're like, jacked!' That was the first thing I said to him. When I saw him, I was, 'Oh, my gosh, Caloy!' That was really funny. He's actually a very funny person," she added.
Malabuyo proceeded to praise Yulo, noting how his achievements serve as an inspiration.
"But also just seeing him doing amazing gymnastics and make it so far is very inspiring too as well," she said.
Malabuyo takes pride in the opportunity to represent the country together with Yulo and the rest of the Philippine contingent in the quadrennial meet. She remembered the warm support she received from her countrymen in one of her competitions, filling her with gratitude to be donning the tri-colors.
"At one of the World Cups in Azerbaijan, I just remember one of the Filipino workers come over to me and was like, 'Oh, my gosh, you're representing the Philippines!' And I was like, 'Yeah, I am. He was like, 'Tomorrow, when you compete. I will bring all the Filipinos that I know.' And I was like, 'No way, OK, sure," Malabuyo recalled.
"So the next day, I'm about to do my beam routine and all I here was, 'Come on, Emma! Laban, Emma!' And I look up to the stands and I see 20 to 30 Filipinos, cheering me on. And after that moment, I felt like, 'This is so cool!' I feel so much support and I'm grateful to represent the Philippines. And I feel like there's so much pride in that. So I'm really thankful to be representing," she added.
(With reports from Boom Gonzalez/Cignal TV)
Story Summary:
- Emma Malabuyo, a 21-year-old gymnast, reflects on her path to the Paris 2024 Olympics, emphasizing resilience, largely due to her family's unwavering support. As she transitioned from being an alternate for the U.S. gymnastics team in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics held three years ago to qualifying with the Philippine team for Paris 2024, Malabuyo credits her family's belief in her, often stronger than her own.
- Malabuyo's parents played a crucial role, attending every competition and providing consistent encouragement. This support has been pivotal, especially during moments of self-doubt. Two days into her training in Metz, France, she bared that she was still adjusting to new equipment and conditions, but feels she is making progress.
- Joining fellow Filipino gymnasts Aleah Finnegan, Levi Ruivivar, and Carlos Yulo in Paris 2024, Malabuyo shares fond memories of meeting Yulo in a junior competition in Japan. She describes Yulo's transformation from a "tiny and scrawny" teenager to a muscular athlete and praises his achievements as inspiring.
- Malabuyo cherishes the opportunity to represent the Philippines and recalls the warm support from Filipino fans at a World Cup event in Azerbaijan. Their enthusiastic cheers filled her with pride and gratitude, reinforcing her commitment to representing her country.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]