NAGOYA – Olympic gymnast Levi Ruivivar cherished the opportunity to be back for Team Philippines since the 2024 Paris Summer Games.
Ruivivar leads the Philippine Women's Artistic Gymnastics Team at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. The 20-year-old gymnast showed she's still got it, scoring 12.900 points in floor exercise and 13.166 points in uneven bars.
She ranked 10th overall in the women's artistic gymnastics qualifications on Tuesday at the Nagoya City General Gymnasium Rainbow Hall.
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"I think it was okay. Definitely not my best, but could've been worse. Like, I think given the circumstances, first competition back in, you know, two years, took a long time off for myself. And I think it's just nice to be back in doing elite and just like I feel like very physically good," she told POC Media after the qualifications.
More than shaking off the rust, Ruivivar is learning how to bring back her mindset with the Asian Games reminding her why she competes.
"I just need to trust myself a little bit more and get more like numbers in order to be more consistent and actually hit the way that I want to and I know I can. So I feel like I just have to work on the competition part of being back in elite," she said.
Ruivivar shared what was going through her head when she entered the competition venue for the first time.
"It's funny because I both felt like I haven't been gone and also felt like it's been so long because it feels a lot different this time around. I feel a lot more calm and just kind of trying to enjoy the experience more and take it all in instead of just be so stressed about like my performance. And I think that makes it a lot more enjoyable for myself and hopefully others around me," she said.
"So I think it was definitely really enjoyable to be back. And I definitely like this means I'm like confirming that I want to keep training elite and keep doing this and keep, you know, pushing for 2028. I think I definitely felt the nerves. I wasn't expecting to be that nervous about competing again," the Olympian added.
Ruivivar admitted she felt the nerves once she was up on the balance beam, but she is taking everything in stride and applying what she learned in college gymnastics.
"I'm definitely feeling nervous. But like, I think that's good because I was like, I care. I just need to learn how to manage that again. And I think, you know, putting a little bit less pressure on myself would be helpful for me because I've done the work in the gym and I just need to be able to fully take in the present moment and just stay in my body and just do what I do in training," she shared.
"I think what I've learned, at least in college gymnastics, it works best for me is just staying centered and trying to actually reduce the amount that I feel because I think I can," Ruivivar explained.
The Olympic gymnast will compete in the women's team final alongside 2025 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist Haylee Garcia, Kylee Kvamme, Chiara Andrew and Lauren Supnet.