LEE Jung Ruivivar kept her Paris games’ ambitions alive, while the Olympic dreams of her fellow Fil-American bet Emma Malabuyo came to an end with a fourth-place finish at the end of the 2024 FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series third leg over the weekend in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The 21-year-old Malabuyo, a five-time member of the US national team, bowed out of contention despite reaching the finals at fourth place, after Austrian Charlize Moerz took the gold medal in the women’s floor exercise event and the Olympic quota slot that went with it.
Moerz, who eased Malabuyo out of the no. 1 spot in the Cottbus leg, earned a total of 80 points after three legs of the four-part series, to become unreachable in the 2024 Apparatus World Cup’s Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Reallocated Points Rankings of the International Gymnastics Federation.
Malabuyo ended the Baku leg with 25 Olympic ranking points to tally 69 points, some 11 points behind Moerz, one of four female gymnasts, who have made qualification after three legs.
As for Ruivivar, a junior standout who burst into elite competitions in 2018, she kept her hopes bright despite finishing eighth place in the women’s uneven bar finals.
The fight for the lone spot in the women’s uneven bars is close, with Ruivivar in contention with five others, with her total of 44 points.
This is due to the 18 points Ruivivar got from making it to the finals and taking the no. 8 spot.
“This World Cup event was definitely a roller-coaster ride. Upon arriving in Baku, I got a horrible stomach bug and spent the first two days getting over the illness, while still doing my best to continue training,” said Ruivivar, who debuted for the Philippines in the Cairo leg, in an interview with the Manila Standard.
Of the six, New Zealand’s Georgia Rose Brown is the top bet to make it to Paris, but was a no-show in Baku. She has tallied 50 points after the Cairo and Cottbus legs.
Jennifer Williams of Sweden and Vanessa Masova are tied with Brown with 48 points apiece, and so is another Swede Nathalie Westlund with 47.
Croatia’s Sara Sukelic shares fifth and sixth spots, with Ruivivar still close with 44.
“My main focus this competition was bars. During qualifications, I received a 13.466 on the uneven bars which got me into event finals. I unfortunately had a mistake during bar finals. However, I still received 18 points,” added Ruivivar.
Ruivivar’s performance earned her 11.9 points in the finals, with Kaylia Nemour of Algeria taking the gold medal with 15.433 points, while Elisa Lorio, a bronze medalist of the World Championships, settled for the silver medal with 14.33 points.
The Doha stop from April 17 to 20 will be the final stop and will finally decide Ruivivar’s fate, with the qualifier uneven bars still undecided.
“With three World Cups down, I am currently in 4th place for points and I am going to Doha in hopes of making it to that 2nd spot. For the other events (floor, beam, and vault), the spots are either locked or with a clear leader in the second spot, but on bars it’s a really tight race and there is not a definitive winner,” said Ruivivar.
Earlier, Carlos Yulo picked up a bronze medal in the men’s floor exercises, after he missed finals qualification in three other events, the men’s parallel bars, where is supposed to defend his crown, along with the pommel horse and the vault.