Aleah Finnegan won women’s vault gold on day one of the apparatus finals in the artistic gymnastics competition at the Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday (11 December).
The Paris 2024 Olympian scored 13.433 to finish ahead of Vietnam’s Thi Quynh Nhu Nguyen who scored 13.400, and Malaysia’s Kang Xian Yeap (12.966), after a review.
That’s a fifth SEA Games medal for the USA-born gymnast, who has been spending time in the Philippines to reconnect with her heritage ahead of the SEA Games 2025.
The Filipina also claimed gold on vault at the Vietnam-hosted edition in 2021.
In the women’s bars final, Rachel Yeoh Li Wen of Malaysia came out on top on 13.300, more than a mark clear of her nearest rival, and Finnegan’s compatriot, Haylee Garcia (12.233). Singapore’s Colleen Hong Kaijia rounded out the podium in third (10.933).
In the men’s floor final, the home crowd cheered history-maker Tikumporn Surintornta, who became the first Thai gymnast to qualify into a world championship final, ultimately claiming fifth, in Jakarta in October. Surintornta bagged top spot with a huge score of 14.000, while Malaysia’s Luqman Al Hafiz Zulfa placed second (12.833). Filipino Justine Ace de Leon secured the first of two bronze medals of the day with a mark of 12.500.
De Leon, the team-mate of double Olympic champion Carlos Yulo, made up for his compatriot’s absence by securing a second medal, on men’s still rings, scoring 12.700. The podium was topped by Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Khanh Phong (13.767), a Summer Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 alumni, and Indonesia’s Muhammad Aprizal in second (12.900).
Another Vietnamese winner came on men’s pommel horse with Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien posting a mighty 14.367 to emerge triumphant in quite the year where he also secured first place at the FIG World Cup on the same apparatus in May.
Singapore’s Asher Pua finished second on rings at the Thammasat University campus venue, with 13.100, while Malaysia’s Muhammad Sharul Aimy rounded out the podium in third (12.267).
The second and final day of apparatus finals takes place tomorrow (Friday 12 December) at the regional multi-sport event, with men’s vault, parallel bars, and horizontal bar, and women’s beam and floor.