Proper after the Doha occasion remaining, as a result of calculating factors is so difficult and the stay scores had been laborious to comply with, even Levi and her coaches had been uncertain if she actually certified.
“I used to be ready and I had no thought,” Levi stated. “I used to be texting my mother and I feel 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 dwelling and was like ‘did I make it? I’m so confused,’ and he was like ‘I feel 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 uncertain 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 informed Valeri, ‘oh, she made her bar routine.’” It wasn’t till Stanford head coach Tabitha Yim and Goriatchkine informed 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 wonderful reminiscences with Crew USA and I proceed to cheer on the entire athletes and I really need them to do effectively as a result of USAG did so good for me and so they supported me by way of lots,” Levi stated. “I grew up in that system and so I’m actually grateful and I’ll all the time 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 an alternative, she defined that the toughest components of the World Cup circuit for her had been adjusting to new environments and gear, and competing back-to-back weeks, one thing she’s by no means achieved earlier than.
For the week after Cottbus, the second of the 4 competitions, Levi deliberate to stick with her cousin in Berlin and prepare at a fitness center close by. However after what she thought can be a 15-minute bike experience to the fitness center turned out to be extra like an hour and a half, and when the bars on the fitness center in Berlin weren’t usable, Levi began taking a 4-hour spherical journey tour from her cousin’s residence 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 prepare station, take an hour and a half lengthy prepare to Cottbus, bike to the coaching heart, after which do the other to get again to Berlin after observe. “It was positively very strenuous, however my legs obtained a lot stronger, I obtained a lot extra cardio in from the biking,” she stated. “It was really wonderful 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 wonderful and regardless that it was extraordinarily troublesome, it was actually 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 all around the world. “It was really inspirational to see the entire athletes as a result of each single one who was on the World Cups had a singular type and I really feel prefer it was a mirrored image of their nation and their coaching,” Levi stated. “There have been so many various types of gymnastics. It actually was inspiring to see how everybody labored with their totally different physique varieties and their totally different services at dwelling and had been in a position to 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 making an attempt for the Olympics since 2012 and informed Levi she’s been competing the identical bars routine for 10 years.
Together with assembly athletes from different international locations on the World Cups, Levi obtained to spend time with the Filipino Males’s Nationwide Crew. “In Cottbus, a number of 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 individuals from the World Cup collectively. They’re really actually beneficiant. Filipino tradition may be very embracing and everybody simply feels very heat and it’s been really wonderful.” Levi additionally roomed with former US Nationwide Crew member, and present Filipino Nationwide Crew member and UCLA gymnast, Emma Malabuyo in any respect 4 competitions. “It was positively very nice to have a teammate who’s been to varsity and is older,” Levi stated. “She was form of like an older sister. She was tremendous useful and was all the time cheering me on, she was actually, actually form.”
Earlier than Paris, Levi will head to Tashkent, Uzbekistan for Asian Championships on the finish of Could, the place her primary 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 remaining together with simply having fun with the expertise.
“I simply maintain 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 all around 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 wonderful as a result of my whole household hasn’t watched me compete in a very long time,” Levi stated. “We’ve got some associates going as effectively, 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 school, 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 understood for her beautiful 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 laborious for it, however I don’t suppose I did. My mother was a ballerina, so you’ll suppose I’d get it from her, however she really doesn’t have probably the most versatile ft. I really obtained my toe level from my dad. He has extraordinarily versatile ft and he has a superb 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 all the time inform me I’ve to maintain them pointed as a result of if I don’t level them or chill out them it’s very noticeable in my gymnastics as a result of they form of simply flail round. Anna is all the time like, ‘Levi, you must ensure you level them’ as a result of she all the time will get on to me for my swap half, not pointing sufficient. She’s like ‘it appears prefer it’s simply waving at me if you happen to don’t level it, you must level it.’ I want I might say I might give individuals recommendations on how you can 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 combined group of athletes from totally different international locations that will probably be assigned as soon as all qualifiers are decided.
Pictures by Leo Bautista
