Olympic gymnast Aleah Finnegan looks back with gratitude after a fruitful 2025 campaign with the national team.

Finnegan said she isn’t just thankful for the opportunities she had representing the country in major international tournaments, but also being able to do it without any injuries. 

The 22-year-old Louisiana State University gymnast made a lot of heads turn when she won a gold medal in the women’s vault and a bronze medal in the balance beam at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand last week.

“2025… it’s been such a whirlwind,” Finnegan said in an interview by Olympics.com.

“This year has been just filled with so much emotion, but at the end of the day I’m really just happy that I have the opportunity to continue to do gymnastics. I’m walking away from this competition healthy and safe and of course bringing home some hardware, too.”

Prior to the SEA Games, Finnegan was able to train in Manila a couple of months that strengthened her bond with her teammates.

“I think the most special moments are honestly the ones that aren’t seen on stage. They’re in the lounge rooms backstage: We’re making TikToks, we’re dancing to no music, and nobody can hear us. We’re just having a little dance circle before the competition starts,” the Filipino-American gymnast said.

“It’s things like that just mean so much because for Southeast Asian gymnastics, it’s hard what we’re doing. It’s late in December, not a lot of competitions going on right now, but I’m grateful for those memories and those are the ones that I’m going to cherish.”

Finnegan finally made her debut for the Philippines in the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta last October where she joined forces with fellow Olympian Emma Malabuyo, Haylee Garcia and Elaiza Yulo.