Malabuyo’s hard work finally paying off

Emma Malabuyo is on the verge of realizing her lifelong dream when she makes her debut in the women’s artistic gymnastics event of the Paris Olympics.

Malabuyo said she had been making a lot of sacrifices in juggling her training with the national team and her college team — the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) — so making it to the Summer Games for the first time ever is quite special.

Right now, Malabuyo and her teammates — Carlos Yulo, Levi Ruivivar, and Aleah Finnegan — are already inside the Athletes Village of the Olympics as they prepare for their campaign on 28 July at 8:50 p.m. (Manila time) at the Bercy Arena.

“This past season, I would be in an international competition, fly 15 hours to compete at an away meet (for UCLA), then go back to campus, do my normal classes, and then fly back to an international competition,” Malabuyo said in an interview.

“I’ve been working so hard for this dream ever since I was a little girl. I think it’s an even greater achievement because I get to compete for the Philippines and represent my culture and community.”

Malabuyo savors her Olympic qualification due to the hardships that she went through.

She first tried to qualify for the Philippines last April via the FIG Apparatus World Cup, but luck wasn’t on her side as she wasn’t able to finish as one of the top two gymnasts in vault apparatus.

Then, she turned her attention to the Asian Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tashkent last May where she finished with a bronze medal in the women’s individual all-around with a score of 50.398 to take the book the lone slot for the Paris Games.

After only being an alternative for the United States in the Tokyo Olympics, Malabuyo is thankful to her Filipino parents — Joel and Ana — for convincing her to represent the Philippines and realize her Olympic dream.

“My family is so supportive and so loving. They encouraged me to try to enter the Olympics. They know what I’m capable of, and I think that’s where my motivation comes from,” Malabuyo said.

“If I never chose to try again, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t have made it to the Olympics.”