ANTWERP – LSU gymnast Aleah Finnegan booked her Olympic ticket to Paris 2024 following her performance at the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championship on Monday.
Finnegan earned an all-around score of 51.366 in her world championship debut to become the first active gymnast in school history to become an Olympian and first ever female gymnast from the Philippines to do so.
“We couldn’t be happier as a program for what Aleah has accomplished. She represented LSU, her family and her heritage with the utmost confidence and poise,” head coach Jay Clark said.
“It was a joyful moment for all of us here to watch her hit four events and do it the way that she did it. Kudos to Aleah and Garrett out in Belgium and we want Tiger Nation to get behind her as she pushes on toward next summer in Paris.”
The Filipina gymnast opened competition in subdivision eight of the women’s qualifying round in Antwerp. She started off strong on floor with her Arabian double front and ending with a front double twist to score a 12.833 (8.033 execution score) in her first routine of the day and set the tone for the next three rotations.
On vault, her yurchenko one and half scored a 13.400 (8.800 E score) before making her way to bars with another clean routine for a score of 12.433 (7.533 E score).
In her final rotation of the day, Finnegan beautifully executed her beam routine that scored her a 12.700 (7.900 E score) to close out Monday’s qualifying competition.
Her all-around score of 51.366 placed her fifth on the day out of the gymnasts on non-qualifying teams to secure her spot in Paris. Additionally, Finnegan can now serve as second alternate for the women’s individual all-around final at 12:30 p.m. CT on Friday, October 6.
“It was such an honor to compete for the Philippines on the world stage. To be able to represent my family and just knowing that I did everything I could out there was really special,” said Finnegan. “I’m grateful for Tiger Nation and the LSU community for cheering me on from home. TGBG. Let’s Geaux to Paris!”
The FIG event page for the Artistic Worlds is the go-to web portal for the latest news, official results, medal standings and a complete competition program. For the full schedule of events of the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship in Antwerp, visit the official website here.
Follow along with Finnegan and the Tigers on the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on Instagram and Twitter and www.Facebook.com/lsugym.