After failing to qualify for the Olympics three years back, a Missouri-based artistic gymnast thought her Olympic dreams were over. The Filipino-American lived her entire life in the United States, and in 2019 became a senior gymnast. Later in the national all-around competition, she placed 23rd sitting out of the Olympic Trials. She gave up competitive gymnastics in the fall of 2020 to join the LSU Tigers and compete in the NCAA Championship; where she met highest paid athlete Olivia Dunne.

Out of a burning desire to advance to the Olympic Games, she chose to represent her other half ethnicity last year. With a confirmed ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics now, she finally opened up about her pick.

Gymnastics star embraces bold move

LSU alumni Aleah Finnegan made a serious decision that changed her life. Finnegan became the first female gymnast to represent the Philippines in 60 years after qualifying for the World Championships in Antwerp. Aleah’s mother grew up in the country and moved to the States when she was just 18. The 20-year-old gymnast told KSHB, ?To be able to represent her and my Grandma and just, she has seven other siblings and so representing the whole family line is truly an honor.?

It all began when the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines invited her to compete for the country. Her perspective on achieving her Olympic dreams got back on track after she said yes.?Last week in Europe, Finnegan scored an individual score of 51.366 which qualified her for one of the 14 spots reserved for the top-ranked athletes for the Olympics.

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Finnegan said, “It’s hard,” noting that her mother had traveled to a nation where a foreign language was spoken while still a teen. She described how, at the age of 20, she ?can?t even imagine moving to a completely different country, not speaking the language.? Much support poured in from her LSU friend Olivia Dunne after she qualified for the Olympic Games.

How far ahead has Aleah Finnegan come representing the Philippines?

Finnegan represented the Philippines in her debut 2022 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia and took home two gold and two silver medals. At the Asian Championships in June 2023, she helped the Philippines’ team place sixth on the opening day. In the competition finals, Finnegan earned the bronze medals for the vault and the balancing beam events in addition to finishing fourth in the floor exercise.

She placed an admirable sixth individually in the all-around division in the 2023 World Championships. The Filipino-American again took the single-handed command on individual finals to add her name to the 2024 Paris Olympics list representing Philippines.

Watch this story After Discussing NIL Wealth with Sports Illustrated, Olivia Dunne Joins Best of Best at Forbes