Olympic gymnast Aleah Finnegan hopes more young athletes join their ranks following a campaign at the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships.
Olympian Aleah Finnegan expressed optimism that more Filipino gymnasts will be able to see action in the sport’s biggest stage after their showing at the 3rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics Junior World Championships, which the Philippines is currently hosting.
Finnegan, who observed Friday's action from the sidelines, said that she sees a lot of promise with the Philippine team bannered by Elisabeth Antone, Maxine Bondoc, Jellian Bantilan, and Sabina Tayag.
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“I think that would be the goal to continue seeing [the] Philippines in the Olympics at the top stage because the talent's there and their work ethic is there. I think that the more that we're seeing gymnastics, the more that we can see their gymnastics improve,” Finnegan told One Sports.
“I think right now they're already so talented. And so now it's just turning that talent into getting better each time.”
The Philippines missed the mark in the all-around qualification and the team event, but still showed promise especially after dealing with short preparation time.
Building the foundation
More than just sharpening the skills, Finnegan also wants to build a good support system for the athletes.
That is, with Filipinos getting exposed to gymnastics especially at the juniors level, more people will hopefully be supportive of the sport.
Along with Carlos Yulo’s sustained success, Finnegan is hopeful that the future gets brighter for her and her teammates, and more importantly, the next generation of Philippine gymnasts.
“I just want the people to watch this competition [and] just knowing that first and foremost, the Philippines is here to stay. We’re not just here to kind of you know, show up and play like they're really they're really making an effort. We're really putting ourselves out there on competition floor,” Finnegan said.
“But for the people watching too is knowing that these kids are so young, yes, but there's just so much more to go in the sport and everyone is just so talented and they're just continuing to push the bar for this sport.”
With the girls already wrapping up their campaign, the Philippines’ medal hopes in the tournament now rest solely on Eldrew Yulo, brother of two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos, as he competes in four finals from Saturday to Monday.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.