When it finally dawned on her that she was going to compete for the Philippines in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Emma Malabuyo suddenly realized one serious thing.
“Since I got hit with this news, I don’t know what my preparations are for the Olympics but I’ll make sure that I’m going to train hard and get better at each event,” Malabuyo said after becoming the country’s fourth qualified Olympic gymnast with her solid showing in the 11th Senior Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Friday.
Malabuyo finished in third place in the individual all-around but the 21-year-old student-athlete from the University of California-Los Angeles doesn’t have an idea how to prime up for July’s Olympics.
Joining her in France are two-time world champion Carlos Yulo and fellow Filipino-Americans Aleah Finnegan and Levi Ruivivar.
This will be the largest gymnastics delegation the country will send since the 1964 Tokyo Games which had Evelyn Magluyan, Maria-Luisa Floro, Fortunato Payao and Demetrio Pastrana.
Malabuyo is currently competing in the final of the floor exercise while Ruivivar is gunning for a podium finish in the uneven bars.
For fulfilling her childhood dream, Malabuyo could not help but express thanks to those who provided a helping hand and inspiration to her quest.
“I know I want to keep improving but I just want to say I want to thank the fans for the support,” Malabuyo said.
“I wouldn’t be here without you guys. I still can’t believe I qualified for Paris and it was my dream since I was a little girl.”
