Months after graduation, Jordan Chiles’ former teammate Emma Malabuyo set for UCLA Bruins comeback in new role

Emma Malabuyo, who was Jordan Chiles’ teammate during the 2025 NCAA gymnastics season, will be joining the UCLA Bruins in a new role. She will return to the team in the upcoming season as a graduate student assistant coach, joining the staff in 2026.

Malabuyo played a key role in the Bruins’ runner-up finish at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, where the team scored a total of 197.6125, narrowly missing out on a historic title to the Oklahoma Sooners, who prevailed with 198.0125 in the finals. Missouri and Utah took third and fourth places with scores of 197.2500 and 197.2375, respectively.

In a recent update, Emma Malabuyo was announced as a member of the Bruins staff for the year 2026 by the official Instagram handle of the UCLA gymnastics team, captioning the post:

“Buyo is back! @emma_malabuyo joins the Bruin staff in 2026 as a graduate student assistant coach! #GoBruins”

Chae Campbell, Zoey Molomo and Ciena Alipio are some of the gymnasts who shared their excitement on Malabuyo returning to UCLA in an unexpected role.

It’s worth noting that Malabuyo also earned an individual silver on the balance beam at the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championships. Earlier, in May, she had shared glimpses of her graduation day from UCLA on her Instagram handle.

Emma Malabuyo returns to training as she gears up to represent the Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games 2025

Emma Malabuyo at NCAA Gymnastics Championships 2025 (Photo by Aric Becker/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Emma Malabuyo is set to represent the Philippines at the Southeast Asian Games 2025, scheduled from December 9 to 20. She will soon join her Paris Olympics teammate Aleah Finnegan in Manila to train with the national team, as revealed by Gymnastics Association of the Philippines President Cynthia Carrion.

Malabuyo shared on her Instagram in August that she had returned to training, posting glimpses of her routine on the balance beam. She captioned the post, writing:

“We back”

While Malabuyo didn’t previously represent the Philippines at the SEA Games, Finnegan is a four-time medalist at the event, winning two gold in the team and vault, and two silver in the all-around and balance beam in the 2021 edition held in Vietnam.

Some of Emma Malabuyo’s other top achievements include winning three medals at the Asian Gymnastics Championships including gold in floor exercise in 2024, silver in the same event in 2023 and an individual all-around bronze in the 2024 edition.

About the author

Abhiruchi is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda, specializing in Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, and Wrestling among other sports. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has over 2 years of prior experience in the sports journalism sector.

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are Abhiruchi’s favorite Olympians. She began following them in 2018, and seeing their transformation from initially not wanting to play together to becoming the world's top-ranked men's doubles pair inspires her.

Track & Field excites Abhiruchi the most because of the diverse range of events involved in it. Neeraj Chopra's historic performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics stands as her favorite Olympic moment as it was India’s first gold in track and field events. She feels that focus should be placed on up-and-coming athletes to increase the coverage of Olympic sports during the off-season.

Abhiruchi applies journalistic principles learnt while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree by prioritizing first-hand information, cross-checking via multiple reliable sources, and fact-checking for accuracy. She follows reputed sources and numerous established athletes on social media platforms to remain updated.

When not reporting, Abhiruchi enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

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Edited by Abhiruchi Rout