Standout Fil-Am gymnast to compete for PH in Asian championships

Emma Malabuyo was a standout for many years on the U.S. national team, finishing second at the U.S. Championships as a junior in 2017. TWITTER

University of California in Los Angeles gymnast Emma Malabuyo will compete for the Philippines on June 10 to 18 at the Asian Gymnastics Championships in Singapore, a qualifier for September’s World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp.

Malabuyo was a standout for many years on the U.S. national team, finishing second at the U.S. Championships as a junior in 2017.

“I’m really excited to compete for [the Philippines],” Malabuyo told Olympics.com. “I’m full Filipino [and] just excited to represent my family. I want to make my grandparents proud.”

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In 2021, Malabuyo took fourth at the U.S. nationals before finishing ninth at the U.S. Olympic team trials. She was then named an alternate to the U.S. squad for Tokyo 2020.

Malabuyo, 20, finished her freshman season last year at UCLA. After last April’s NCAA championships, she was approached by Cliff Parks, who works with the Philippines’ national gymnastics team.

She is getting a Filipino passport, changing her FIG license from USA to the Philippines and putting together elite routines on the balance beam and floor.

If she prevails in Singapore, Malabuyo hopes to add more events for the World Championships and hasn’t ruled out trying for Paris 2024.