Fil-Am Jung-Ruivivar Olympic hopes alive in uneven bars

FIL-AM Levi Jung-Ruivivar kept her Olympic hopes alive by making the women’s uneven bars even as Paris-bound Carlos Yulo failed to make the men’s floor exercise finals of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Doha, Qatar on Thursday.

Ms. Jung-Ruivivar, 17, claimed the eighth and last finals seat by scoring 13.2 points that kept her in the hunt of joining fellow gymnasts Yulo and Aleah Finnegan, pole-vaulter EJ Obiena, boxers Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas and weightlifters Vanessa Sarno, John Febuar Ceniza and Elreen Ando in this July’s Paris Games.

But she must finish at least second among the finalists who have yet to earn their Olympics slots.

Of the eight, Algerian Kaylia Nemour, Portuguese Filipa Martins and Ukrainian Anna Lashchevska, who finished first, fifth and seventh with 15.400, 13.366 and 13.233 in the qualification round, respectively, have already booked their Paris berths by virtue of their strong performances in the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium last year.

So regardless of the final scores and positions of Mmess. Nemour, Martins and Lashchevska, the two Paris slots will be basically fought by Ms. Jung-Ruivivar, Belarus’ Alena Tsitavets (second, 13.666), New Zealand’s Georgia-Rose Brown (third, 13.400), Sweden’s Nathalie Westlund (fourth, 13.400), and Belgium’s Maellyse Brassart (sixth, 13.255).

Meanwhile, many-time world titlist Mr. Yulo was a shadow of his old self again as he wound up just 21st in his favorite event — the floor exercise — with a score of 12.666 in the qualification phase and failed to make the cut.

Mr. Yulo, however, will have his other chances in two more apparatuses as he wades into battle in his other events where he excelled before — the vault and parallel bars today.

Another Philippine bet, Emma Malabuyo, will shoot for an Olympic spot as she sees action in the women’s floor exercise today. — Joey Villar