MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): Aleah Finnegan (pic) is going to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Just a day removed from Carlos Yulo’s qualification for the Summer Games next year, Finnegan became the latest Filipino athlete to punch her ticket to Paris.
Finnegan tallied 51.366 points for 32nd place in the 2023 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships’ qualification in Antwerp, Belgium, which gives her enough credentials to take one of 14 spots for the highest-ranked eligible athletes for the Olympics.
She is the first female gymnast to represent the Philippines in six decades, according to the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines.
Finnegan’s performance in the two-day qualifiers also gave her a ticket to the tournament’s final stage.
The Filipino-American posted 13 points in vault, 12.433 points in uneven bars, 12.7 in balanced beam and 12.833 in floor exercise.
The Louisiana State University mainstay is joined by Kaylia Neymour (Algeria), Pauline Schafer-Betz (Germany), Alexa Moreno (Mexico) and Filipa Martins (Portugal) as athletes who qualified for the Olympics thanks to their performances in the World Championships.
Hungary’s Bettina Lili Czifra, Spain’s Alba Petisco, Ukraine’s Anna Lashchevska, Panama’s Hillary Heron, South Africa’s Caitlin Rooskrantz, Czech Republic’s Sona Artamonova, Israel’s Lihie Raz and Slovenia’s Lucija Hribar also notched tickets to Paris after their Antwerp stints.
Finnegan recently represented the Philippines in the 2022 Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she finished with two gold and two silver medals.
So far, there are three athletes who have secured their place in the Olympics namely EJ Obiena, Yulo and Finnegan.
