Paris Olympian Aleah Finnegan (Contributed photo)
BANGKOK – Paris Olympian Aleah Finnegan reaffirmed her status as the brightest star of the women’s artistic gymnastics competition at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, topping the vault apparatus final on Thursday at Gymnasium 5 of Thammasat University in Pathum Thani.
Finnegan clinched her second SEA Games gold—her first coming in 2022 in Hanoi—after posting a 13.433, edging Vietnam’s Thi Quynh Nhu Nguyen (13.400) and Malaysia’s Kang Xian Yeap (12.966).
“This gold is incredibly special,” the 22-year-old said. “A lot has happened behind the scenes, some personal challenges, but I kept pushing through all of it.”
She added that her faith carried her through the moment. “I prayed to Jesus all the time. I am nothing without Him, and I know He is with me.”
The victory came with a brief scare. Moments after Finnegan’s routine, officials flashed an incorrect score on the screen. The American-born Filipina waited nearly 30 minutes before judges corrected the mix-up and officially confirmed her as the gold medalist.
“I was really nervous when they flashed the wrong score,” Finnegan admitted. “We were all trying to figure out how they got that number. It was stressful and confusing, but in the end, I’m just thankful everything was corrected.”
Gymnastics Association of the Philippines president Cynthia Carrion said she never doubted the outcome.
“From the moment Aleah finished her vault, I knew it was gold. We checked the score because we were sure there was a miscalculation, and I’m grateful the organizers fixed it,” Carrion said.
Finnegan now turns her focus to the balance beam final on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Haylee Garcia secured silver in the uneven bars with a score of 12.333, while Justin Ace de Leon added a pair of bronzes in the floor exercise (12.500) and rings (12.700), completing a strong day for the Philippine gymnastics team.
8 boxing bronzes
Meanwhile, the Philippine boxing team is now assured of eight medals in the ongoing boxing events Games following the victory of Jay Brian Baricuatro in the men’s 48-kilograms quarterfinals at the Chulalongkorn University Sports Center.
Baricuatro was simply too skilled for his Vietnamese opponent Linh Punh Nguyen, landing perfect combinations and power punches to score a convincing 5-0 victory.
With the win, Baricuatro has joined Ofelia Magno in the semifinals, assuring them of at least a bronze-medal finish in their respective weight classes.
They will join Hergie Bacyadan, Riza Pasuit, Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas, Eumir Marcial and Weljon Mindoro with assured medals after drawing a bye in the first round and getting an outright semis seat.
Although assured of a huge medal haul, Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) secretary general Marcus Manalo stressed that the team has set its sight on nothing, but the gold medals
“May (eight) na tayo na assured bronze (We are assured of eight bronzes). Of course, you want a better color ‘di ba?,” said Manalo.
Others still vying for a spot in the final four are Mark Ashley Fajardo, Junmilardo Ogayre and Flint Jara.
Claudine Veloso, meanwhile, had a rough start to her SEAG boxing stint after dropping a tough 5-0 loss to Vo Ti Kim Anh in the women’s 54kg class.
Bacyadan will have the first shot at advancing to the finals when she takes on defending champion and Thai bet Manikon Baison in the women’s 70kg semifinals for an assured silver.