DECISIONS will be made on Fil-Am gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar, a new addition to the Philippine national women’s team.
The 17-year-old Jung-Ruivivar was supposed to join the national contingent to the Asian Games, but did not get the green light to compete in Hangzhou from the organizers.
This year, officials of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines are thinking of having Jung-Ruivivar see action for the country again, first in the Asian Championships.
“We are deciding if we will include her in the Asian Championships and get qualification for the Olympics,” said GAP president Cynthia Carrion.
So far, while she awaits her fate, the Los Angeles-based Jung-Ruivivar has been accepted as a student-athlete at Stanford University and will compete in the US NCAA with three other recruits.
Jung-Ruivivar first broke into the scene with her junior elite debut in 2018, bagging a silver on the uneven bars and placing fifth in the all-around.
That year, Jung-Ruivivar qualified to her first U.S. National Championships, where she placed seventh in the uneven bars, 12th in the floor exercise, 18th in the all-around, 19th in the vault and 21st in the all-around.
At the U.S. National Championships during the pandemic, Jung-Ruivivar landed 20th in the floor exercise, 21st in the uneven bars, 25th in the vault and balance beam and 26th in the all-around.
Following her achievements, Jung-Ruivivar is moving to another club, from Paramount Elite to Twin City Twisters.
In 2022, Jung-Ruivivar made her international debut at the Stuttgart World Cup, winning team gold in the mixed cup.
At the U.S. Classic, she competed in two events, placing seventh in the uneven bars and 10th in balance beam.
After that, she competed at Jung-Ruivivar’s first senior National Championships, placing 10th on balance beam, 14th in the all-around and on floor exercise, and 16th in the uneven bars.
Last year in 2023, Jung-Ruivivar started her season at the Winter Cup, placing 19th in the all-around and on floor exercise, 21st in the uneven bars, and 23rd in the balance beam.
Over at the U.S. Classic in early August, Jung-Ruivivar settled for16th in the uneven bars and 32nd in the balance beam.
So far, the GAP has already formed a talented women’s artistic gymnastics squad since last year, which includes Fil-foreign members in Aleah Finnegan, Kylee Kvamme and Emma Lauren Malabuyo.
Finnegan, who is about to become the first female gymnast from the Philippines at the Olympics, is being groomed for future international events again, including the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.
The 20-year-old Finnegan and Kvamme joined Malabuyo in the 12-strong national team that went into action in Hangzhou.