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Suni Lee, Haleigh Bryant, and others reacted to Aleah Finnegan's glammed-up look as she stepped out with her fellow Filipino-American gymnast before the 2025 NCAA season. Finnegan had a successful 2024 season, winning the national title with LSU and debuting at the Paris Olympics.
After signing the Letter of Intent with the Louisiana State University at the end of 2020, the 21-year-old competed at the 2021 G.K US Classic, finishing seventh in the all-around behind Simone Biles. She graced the gymnastic mat of the US Championships next, finishing 23rd in the all-around and failing on three apparatuses. The setback ended her debut Olympic dream in Tokyo when she didn't advance to the Olympic trials.
Representing the Philippines since March 2022, Finnegan finished 32nd in the all-around at the 2023 World Championships, securing a place in the individual Paris Olympic roster. The double Asian Championships medalist and fellow Filipina-Americans Emma Malabuyo and Levi Ruivivar became the first female gymnasts to get Olympic individual qualification since Evelyn Magluyan achieved so in the 1964 Games.
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Ahead of the 2025 season, Aleah Finnegan stepped out in a black minidress with her Olympic mate, Emma Malabuyo, and captured the attention of the gymnasts, Suni Lee, Haleigh Bryant, and others, as posted on the 21-year-old's Instagram.
Her post caption read:
"Sit & stay a while"
Suni Lee, an Olympic gold medalist, praised her look, commenting with heart-eyed emojis.
The 2024 NCAA Nationals all-around champion, Haleigh Bryant, chimed in and wrote:
"don’t have to tell me twice"
Emma Mayabulo commented:
"miss you"
LSU gymnast Kiya Johnson also expressed her admiration for Finnegan below the latter's post.
Aleah Finnegan was proud of herself despite not attaining a podium finish in Paris
Having competed alongside the likes of Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics, Finengan didn't make it to the finals with her effort. However, she didn't regret her debut Olympic stint, talking about how the journey mattered more than the podiums.
"Gymnastics is a very demanding sport. It requires a lot of sacrifices, and there have definitely been times growing up where I wished I was a ‘normal’ kid'. I don’t have any regrets; I’m just thankful I was able to see the end goal and finally attain it," the Lee's Summit native shared with MEGA Active.
"Dreams will require you to face heartbreak, setbacks, or mental blocks—but falling in love with the sport, remaining disciplined, and enjoying the journey is what mattered..." she added.
Besides her Olympic achievement, Finnegan earned the floor exercise gold at the 2024 NCAA Championships.
