PARIS – LSU Gymnastics rising senior, Aleah Finnegan, officially made her Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Games on Sunday in Bercy Arena.
Finnegan was the first Filipina gymnast to compete in the Games in six decades, with the last being Maria-Luisa Floro and Evelyn Magluyan in the 1964 edition. She was also the first active LSU Gymnast to become an Olympian.
“Today, all my little girl dreams came true! An Olympian for life. I truly enjoyed every single second of today’s competition,” said Finnegan.
The Lee’s Summit, Missouri, native competed as one of three individuals for Team Philippines in Sunday’s qualification competition, finishing with an all-around score of 50.498 in subdivision three.
Finnegan started the competition off shaky on beam, but came back with a strong floor performance in the second rotation. It was a high-energy routine in Paris from the 2024 NCAA Floor Champion that scored a 12.733.
The Filipina gymnast moved onto vault for the third rotation, where she had her best performance on the day. She competed two vaults routines and recorded a 13.733 for her team.
Finnegan finished the competition on bars, where she delivered a strong 12.566 routine to close out her debut on the world stage in Paris.
While her Olympic campaign came to an end, today was about more than gymnastics. She delivered on the highest stage for LSU and for her country.
“Representing the Philippines at the Olympics is so special, no matter the outcome. These are the moments I’ll carry for the rest of my life,” Finnegan added.
Final results from all subdivisions of Sunday’s qualifications can be found here.
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.