When I’m competing, I’m proud to represent the Philippines. “I think we all just connected with that thing we all had in common, a little spark or something.
“I love how much diversity there is in gymnastics, and especially throughout the national team, there’s just a wide variety of us,” she said. That brings the total number of Asian-American camp attendees for 2019 to 11, an increase from just three in November 2014. Notably missing from the photo were Kara Eaker and Sunisa Lee, who were exempt from attending the camp as the traveling World Championship team members were excused. In November 2019, 2017 World Champion Morgan Hurd posted an Instagram photo of her and the eight other Asian-American gymnasts who attended the final national team training camp of the year. In addition to the growth of Filipino representation in the sport worldwide, Finnegan is also part of a noticeable increase in Asian-American participation in U.S. Maybe I can do that one day.’ - To be able to inspire people like that because of my ethnicity, that would be amazing. If they look at me and are like, ‘Hey she’s Filipino. However, she knows that not everyone is as lucky and hopes to inspire young kids who may want to follow in her footsteps. And I’m proud.”īecause she grew up with three older sisters, all of whom did competitive gymnastics, Finnegan always saw herself represented in the sport. It makes me so proud to be a part of that even though I may not be specifically there, but it’s in my blood. “I’m so proud of everyone who has been able to compete, like my sister and all of these girls who are continuing to compete for the Philippines. “As a community, we’re building each other up for more opportunities for Filipinos to get the recognition they deserve,” she said.
Whether they’ve competed for the U.S., Canada, or for the Philippines, Finnegan is honored to add her name to the growing list of gymnasts representing the southeast Asian country. Other notable Filipino women’s gymnasts include Canadian Olympian Victoria Moors, Canadian Pan American Champion Brooklyn Moors, Kentucky sophomore Kaitlin DeGuzman, Penn State senior Ava Verdeflor, Lizzy LeDuc, and Corinne Bunagan. there’s Kyla Ross: a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, five-time World medalist, 11-time Pacific Rim medalist, and five-time NCAA champion. Their eldest sister, Hannah, competed for the Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games in 2011. Olympic women’s gymnastics team, and a two-time NCAA champion for LSU. Since 2010, there has been an increase in Filipino representation from both Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the sport at its highest levels.Īleah’s second-eldest sister, Sarah, is a two-time Pan American Championship medalist, a member of the 2012 U.S. Yulo went on to win the men’s floor title at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart.įinnegan and Yulo are part of a rising trend in artistic gymnastics. “Filipino gymnasts don’t get a lot of recognition, especially competing for the Philippines, and I think that was so awesome, and I’m so proud of him.”įinnegan is a senior elite gymnast who represents the U.S., but her Filipino heritage - her mom, Linabelle, was born and raised in the Philippines - made Yulo’s historic feat a moment to remember. “It was such a special moment, because I was just like, ‘This is so awesome,’” Finnegan said. Yulo won bronze on floor exercise in Doha, making him the first Philippine gymnast to medal at a World Championships. Aleah Finnegan remembers watching Carlos Yulo make history at the 2018 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
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