THE moment she landed 51.366 points, Aleah Finnegan secured a ticket to the much-awaited 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Filipino-American gymnast is going back to her roots upon representing the Philippines in the prestigious sporting event.
After her success at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium, she is set to be the first female gymnast from the Philippines to compete in the Olympics since 1964.
But for the 21-year old, the obstacles it took to overcome for that opportunity is far from easy.
Family and sports
Hailing from Missouri, Finnegan was raised in a family of athletes.
Her sisters Sarah and Hannah Finnegan are also gymnasts. While her late father Don Finnegan was a professional wrestler during his time.
Photo Courtesy: @aleahfinn | Instagram
Surrounded by athletic family members, so too did Finnegan jump into the world of gymnastics. Later on, the young athlete went on to represent the United States of America in competitions.
She began as a junior Olympic athlete in 2016. In 2018, she became a junior elite and then finally competed in senior gymnastic in 2019. It was during this time she thrived as one of the promising American gymnasts.
As a teen, she would train 30 hours a week. Her mother Linabelle Finnegan told The Athletic that she recalled her daughter being an avid athlete, “I would threaten if she didn’t do her homework, I wouldn’t take her to gym practice. That’s how much she really loved it.”
Finnegan went on to be a part of the women’s team who won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Goodbye, gymnastics
From there, Finnegan set eyes on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, to which she failed to qualify for.
During the Olympic Trials, which served as the tryout for the US Gymnastics team for the Olympics, she failed short after multiple falls and landing 23rd.
Finnegan was left with the question, “What am I supposed to do now?” as other gymnasts got called up.
The unbelievable then happened to a young and ambitious athlete – retirement.
On June 12 2021, Finnegan announced her withdrawal from gymnastics to focus on her college career at Louisiana State University.
Photo Courtesy: @aleahfinn | Instagram
In her Instagram post she wrote, “I’m so blessed to be given the opportunity to represent the US and will cherish those experiences forever. The memories I’ve made, and the people I’ve met are truly life changing.”
Finnegan went on to compete at the SEC Championships and other tournaments for LSU, not knowing that she would try to compete at the internationally sought after sporting event.
Redemption and returning to roots
Firm on her decision of not returning to elite gymnastics, Finnegan’s decision was shaken by a call from the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
They were asking if the college-focused athlete would represent the country at the 2022 Southeast Asian Games (SEA).
Her mother was born and raised in the Philippines, while her oldest sister Hannah represented the nation at the SEA games a decade ago.
Thus, Finnegan too went back to her roots to honor her mother. “To get back to my mom who has made so many sacrifices, to represent the people I love,” she told One Sports.
And in this attempt, she redeemed.
At the 22nd SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, she helped the Philippine team grab a gold medal in the team event. She also bagged an individual gold on vault and two silvers in the all-around and on balance beam
Photo Courtesy: @aleahfinn | Instagram
But amidst the success, Finnegan was left again with another question in mind, “What do I want this to become?”
“I try not to do too many things at the same time, try not to load my plate too much. But I, thankfully, was in a great place physically and mentally [after my collegiate season] to be able to compete again,” she told Olympics.
Still in June 2021, Finnegan kept on pursuing gymnastics at the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore. She grabbed some bronze medals in the vault and balance beam.
She supported the country to fifth in the team competition and sixth in the all-around event.
Finnegan also went on to earn a spot at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in October later the same year.
Hello, Paris Olympics 2024
In contrast to her retirement two years ago, Finnegan fought for a spot at the Olympics. It was a moment she waited for since the 2021 US Gymnastics Championships.
“I’ve been wanting to go to the Olympics since I knew what the Olympics were. I was kind of calculating how old I would need to be and what years that would be. I never really thought growing up that it would be 2024, but here I am with this opportunity,” she told Olympics.com.
Photo Courtesy: @aleahfinn | Instagram
Since Maria-Luisa Floro and Evelyn Magluyan in 1964 in Tokyo, Japan, Finnegan will be the first female gymnast from the Philippines to play at the Olympic Games.
An interesting turn of events may have led Finnegan to her road to Paris. Retirement and LSU were her goals, but being at the Olympics wasn’t too far fetched either.
Aleah Finnegan will be competing in the women’s individual all-around artistic gymnastics category, on August 1 at 6:15 PM Central European Time.
With reports from Regine Dayao
