Emma brimming with confidence

Filipino-American gymnast Emma Malabuyo will be entering the Paris Olympics oozing with a lot of confidence as she brings her experience of being an alternate for the United States gymnastics team.

The 21-year-old gymnast said having trained alongside four-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles in the Summer Games in 2021 has made her a better athlete as she represents the Philippines in the 26 July to 11 August Summer Games.

Malabuyo clinched her spot after finishing with a bronze medal in the women’s individual all-around of the 11th Senior Women Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships in Tashkent last May.

“I think just having that experience to train in Tokyo in that high-level atmosphere, I think that really just helped me deal with all the pressure and having that experience, I know what I’m walking into and I know what to expect,” Malabuyo said.

Malabuyo is part of the four-man Philippine gymnastics team that includes Levi Ruivivar, Aleah Finnegan and two-time world champion Carlos Yulo, the country’s biggest delegation since the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games.

The University of California-Los Angeles student-athlete can’t wait to plunge into action in France.