Just when Aleah Finnegan thought things went south as far as her Olympics aspirations are concerned, a golden opportunity came knocking – or calling – her way.
It is a story of one phone call that changed one's life forever.
Fed up with a nagging foot injury and a series of setbacks in 2021, Aleah Finnegan decided to forget about her Olympic dreams and let life take its course.
In June that same year, Finnegan, then a member of the US gymnastics team, opted to focus on her collegiate career with Louisiana State University.
“Ultimately, my goal was to compete in the 2020 Olympics, so I had done everything that I could: I had trained at the right gyms, I had excellent coaches,” said Finnegan, who was part of the US women’s team that bagged the gold in 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Things did not go her way.
She faltered in the GK US Classic and US National Gymnastics Championships in 2021 and, consequently, did not compete in the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials.
“I just had an off day. Something about gymnastics is you only get one shot at it. In sports in general, you have one shot, you train your whole life and you have this one opportunity. And, sometimes, it's what you’re going to do with it and, sometimes, it just doesn’t go your way that day,” Finnegan said.
[RELATED STORY: Proud of her roots: Paris-bound gymnast Aleah Finnegan explains how she embraces Filipino culture]
Fortunately for the 21-year-old gymnast, that’s not the one shot she was waiting for, for that came a little later in the form of a phone call. On the other end of the line was Cynthia Carrion, president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
Finnegan thought her best years were behind her until then.
To cut the long story short, the Filipino-American switched allegiances, won medals in the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Championships, and finally got the coveted ticket to the Paris Olympics.
“Incredibly thankful she had made that phone call to my mother, to relay the message to myself and to say, ‘Hey this is an incredible opportunity we have for you,'” Finnegan said.
“This is too good an opportunity to pass up. I have an opportunity to represent my mom, to represent my heritage and my culture.”
[RELATED STORY: A twist of fate: Aleah Finnegan goes back to Filipino roots to fulfill Paris 2024 dreams]
Finnegan was grateful that she answered "yes" to the call.
“Just saying yes to that one opportunity just unleashed the door for so many things to come,” she said.
“I’m truly thankful that I took that first yes because I wouldn’t be here today without it.”
(With reports from Boom Gonzalez, Cignal TV)
Story Summary:
- Aleah Finnegan, then a member of the US gymnastics team, fell short in key competitions like the GK US Classic and US National Gymnastics Championships and thus she was unable to participate in the Olympic Trials for Tokyo 2020.
- However, a phone call from Cynthia Carrion, president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines, changed everything. This call offered Finnegan a new path and reignited her Olympic aspirations. Embracing her Filipino heritage, she switched allegiances and competed for the Philippines.
- Finnegan's decision to say "yes" opened doors to remarkable opportunities. She went on to win medals at the 2022 Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Gymnastics Championships the following year, the latter giving her a spot in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. She earned her Paris 2024 berth there.
- She expressed immense gratitude for the opportunity to represent her heritage and for the pivotal phone call that transformed her life.
[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.]