Proper after the Doha occasion closing, as a result of calculating factors is so difficult and the reside scores had been arduous to comply with, even Levi and her coaches had been not sure if she actually certified.
“I used to be ready and I had no concept,” Levi stated. “I used to be texting my mother and I believe my precise phrases had been ‘mother, mother, mother, did I make it? Mother, mother, mother, did I do it?’ After which I began texting Ivan who was again residence and was like ‘did I make it? I’m so confused,’ and he was like ‘I believe you probably did.’ My coronary heart was beating a lot, nevertheless it was so thrilling.”
Levi’s coaches at WOGA, Valeri and Anna Liukin had been in Italy on the time and in addition had been not sure about Levi’s qualification. “After I made the Olympics, my mother texted Anna and was like ‘she made it’ with exclamation factors,” Levi stated. “And Anna was like ‘oh, so she made the routine, she made the bar routine. Yay, that’s nice.’ She instructed Valeri, ‘oh, she made her bar routine.’” It wasn’t till Stanford head coach Tabitha Yim and Goriatchkine instructed the Liukins Levi certified that they had been sure. “Then Anna shouted out to the entire U.S. delegation [in Italy] and everybody simply began erupting in applause and cheering for me,” Levi stated. “That was so good to listen to as a result of everybody within the U.S. was so candy and it’s very nice to know they’re nonetheless so supportive.”
“I’ve had so many superb reminiscences with Workforce USA and I proceed to cheer on all the athletes and I really need them to do properly as a result of USAG did so good for me and so they supported me by lots,” Levi stated. “I grew up in that system and so I’m actually grateful and I’ll at all times cherish these moments.”
Earlier than competing bars in Doha, Levi obtained a pep discuss from 8-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina. “She checked out me and stated ‘you are able to do this, you bought this. You are able to do something one time. You are able to do it. Simply bear in mind to squeeze your butt, simply squeeze your butt it doesn’t matter what, okay. You are able to do it.’ And I used to be like ‘Okay.’ After which, I stated to my coach, ‘it doesn’t matter what occurs on the market, the truth that Oksana stated I can do it, that simply was a spotlight of my day.”
Whereas competing on the World Cups, the 11-16 hour flights and time adjustments had been nowhere close to the toughest half for Levi. As a substitute, she defined that the toughest components of the World Cup circuit for her had been adjusting to new environments and tools, and competing back-to-back weeks, one thing she’s by no means performed earlier than.
For the week after Cottbus, the second of the 4 competitions, Levi deliberate to stick with her cousin in Berlin and practice at a health club close by. However after what she thought could be a 15-minute bike journey to the health club turned out to be extra like an hour and a half, and when the bars on the health club in Berlin weren’t usable, Levi began taking a 4-hour spherical journey tour from her cousin’s condo in Berlin to the coaching facility in Cottbus she’d been at for the World Cup. She would get up at 6:30 or 7:00, bike to the practice station, take an hour and a half lengthy practice to Cottbus, bike to the coaching middle, after which do the other to get again to Berlin after observe. “It was undoubtedly very strenuous, however my legs acquired a lot stronger, I acquired a lot extra cardio in from the biking,” she stated. “It was actually superb to have the ability to bike in Berlin and see a lot of the town. We noticed the Berlin Wall and the river and it was superb and though it was extraordinarily troublesome, it was truthfully one thing I’d do once more as a result of it was such a singular expertise.”
Moreover qualifying for the Olympics, Levi’s favourite a part of the World Cup competitions was assembly and competing with gymnasts from everywhere in the world. “It was actually inspirational to see all the athletes as a result of each single one that was on the World Cups had a singular model and I really feel prefer it was a mirrored image of their nation and their coaching,” Levi stated. “There have been so many alternative types of gymnastics. It actually was inspiring to see how everybody labored with their totally different physique sorts and their totally different services at residence and had been capable of all come collectively to showcase their gymnastics.” She particularly talked about New Zealand’s Georgia-Rose Brown, the second bars Olympic qualifier, as inspirational. Brown has been attempting for the Olympics since 2012 and instructed Levi she’s been competing the identical bars routine for 10 years.
Together with assembly athletes from different nations on the World Cups, Levi acquired to spend time with the Filipino Males’s Nationwide Workforce. “In Cottbus, among the males from the Philippines had been there and we bonded a lot”, Levi stated. “We tried some German goodies collectively and we had been interviewing totally different folks from the World Cup collectively. They’re actually actually beneficiant. Filipino tradition may be very embracing and everybody simply feels very heat and it’s been actually superb.” Levi additionally roomed with former US Nationwide Workforce member, and present Filipino Nationwide Workforce member and UCLA gymnast, Emma Malabuyo in any respect 4 competitions. “It was undoubtedly very nice to have a teammate who’s been to varsity and is older,” Levi stated. “She was type of like an older sister. She was tremendous useful and was at all times cheering me on, she was actually, actually sort.”
Earlier than Paris, Levi will head to Tashkent, Uzbekistan for Asian Championships on the finish of Could, the place her important purpose is to scrub up her routines. On the Olympics, she is going to compete within the All-Round and has a dream of constructing the All-Round closing together with simply having fun with the expertise.
“I simply hold forgetting that it’s not simply gymnasts at this competitors, it’s the Olympics,” Levi stated. “There’s going to be prime athletes from all totally different sports activities from everywhere in the world. Really, I’m excited to get to have that have and go to the opening ceremonies and have a really feel for the village and be within the surroundings of the Olympics.”
“My household is all going to Paris which is superb as a result of my whole household hasn’t watched me compete in a very long time,” Levi stated. “We’ve got some mates going as properly, so it’s very thrilling.”
Within the fall, Levi will head to Stanford College to start her NCAA profession, one thing she’s extraordinarily excited for, following the Cardinal’s record-breaking 2024 season. By means of faculty, Levi additionally plans to maintain competing in Elite meets for the Philippines in hopes of constructing the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, her hometown!
As a result of Levi is thought for her gorgeous toe-point, we needed to ask the key behind it. Right here’s what she needed to say!
“I want I might say I labored actually arduous for it, however I don’t assume I did. My mother was a ballerina, so you’ll assume I’d get it from her, however she really doesn’t have essentially the most versatile ft. I really acquired my toe level from my dad. He has extraordinarily versatile ft and he has a great toe level himself, clearly it’s not unbelievable as a result of he by no means has to level his ft. As a result of my ft are so versatile, my coaches at all times inform me I’ve to maintain them pointed as a result of if I don’t level them or calm down them it’s very noticeable in my gymnastics as a result of they type of simply flail round. Anna is at all times like, ‘Levi, you need to ensure you level them’ as a result of she at all times will get on to me for my swap half, not pointing sufficient. She’s like ‘it seems prefer it’s simply waving at me should you don’t level it, you need to level it.’ I want I might say I might give folks recommendations on find out how to get a toe level, however I simply had good genetics.”
Gymnastics on the Olympics will start on July twenty seventh. Levi will compete with a blended group of athletes from totally different nations that can be assigned as soon as all qualifiers are decided.
Photographs by Leo Bautista
