Finnegan Begins Olympic Journey At Women’s Gymnastics Qualifications On Sunday
PARIS – LSU Gymnast Aleah Finnegan will begin her journey at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in the artistic women’s gymnastics qualification competition on Sunday, July 28 in Bercy Arena.
Finnegan’s dreams of being an Olympian came true last October, when she booked her ticket to Paris following her performance at the 2023 World Championships in Antwerp. She will make her Paris stint two years ear after switching federations from the United States to the Philippines.
“I’ve wanted to go to the Olympics since I was 5 years old. This journey has taken so many left turns since I started, however being at the Olympics, I have realized that this is so much more than gymnastics,” said Finnegan.
“I am so thankful and honored for this incredible opportunity to showcase the Philippine flag on the world’s highest stage. Thank you to the Philippines for embracing me with open arms, to my family for showing me love and grace while pushing me to be my best, and for all the incredible support I have received on this wonderful journey! Geaux Tigers! Mabuhay!”
At Worlds, Finnegan finished in the top 14 all-arounders with her score of 51.366 to become the first active gymnast in school history to become an Olympian and first ever female gymnast from the Philippines to do so in six decades.
Finnegan is set to become the first female gymnast from the Philippines to see action in the Olympics since Maria-Luisa Floro and Evelyn Magluyan competed in the 1964 edition in Tokyo, Japan.
The rising senior will compete as an individual for the Philippines at the Games, her mother’s native country.
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Finnegan’s journey with the Philippines first began in 2022 when she made her international debut at the Southeast Asian Games and won four medals, including team and vault golds. She was the silver medallist in the all-around and on beam.
She continued competing with Team Philippines last summer at the 2023 Asian Gymnastics Championships in Singapore, where she tallied two bronze medals on vault and one on balance beam to earn her spot at the World Championships, the sport’s biggest Paris 2024 qualifier.
Her performance in Singapore also led her to become the first Filipino woman to earn multiple medals at the Asian Championships.
“It was just a full-circle moment considering how the last few years had been for my career. Looking back, I had no idea where this journey would take me. I’m so grateful to be here,” she said.
Now, she continues to make history with the Philippines, fulfilling her lifelong dream of competing at the Olympics while hoping to fuel the rise of Philippine women’s gymnastics.
There are a total of 22 Filipino athletes vying to make history in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“We do have ties to the country that we’re representing,” said Finnegan. “But I think the whole purpose of this – obviously we have our individual goals – but also to…shed light on the young athletes that are in the Philippines who have goals and aspirations to be in the position we’re in someday.”
Not only will Finnegan represent her family’s country in Paris, but she will also represent the NCAA, LSU and the SEC.
She is one of 14 current NCAA gymnasts competing at the Summer Games this year, while all sixteen SEC schools will be represented at the Games by 287 current and former student-athletes competing. In addition, 22 individuals with ties to member schools will coach in the Games, including LSU Assistant Coach Garrett Griffeth.
Finnegan helped lead the Tigers to their first national championship in school history earlier this year, delivering the final beam routine of the night that clinched the title for LSU.
Gymnastics in Paris kicks off with men’s subdivision 1 this Saturday, July 27 (followed by the women on July 28), and concludes with the third day of event finals on August 5. The sport has a long history on the Olympic program as the sport was introduced to its first Games in 1896, and has been included in every iteration since. Women began competing at the Olympic level at the 1928 Amsterdam Games.
Finnegan will compete in subdivision three of the women’s gymnastics qualifications at 7:50 a.m. CT on Sunday, where she will look to secure her spot in the all-around finals on Thursday, August 1. Event finals will take place from August 3-5.
All subdivisions of qualification competition will be available across NBC, Peacock or E!
NBC is additionally available to stream on Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Ultimate, Now TV, or Xfinity Choice TV, as well as an over-the-air antenna.
E! Is also available to stream on Hulu with Live TV, Sling Blue, and YouTube TV.
Stay up to date with Finnegan and all things LSU Gymnastics by following the team’s social media channels @LSUgym on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.