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Gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar, a former member of the US national team who now represents the Philippines, said she suffered a “severe allergic reaction” in the Olympic Village on Monday.
Jung-Ruivivar, 18, has a tree allergy, but said on Instagram that she does not believe that she ingested the allergen.
“On the way to the treatment center, my allergy symptoms increased rapidly and my breathing became significantly labored, my throat began to tighten, my chest itched, and I had severe swelling,” he said. .
She had her EpiPen with her and injected herself while trying to find the Village’s emergency medical clinic. Finally he called an ambulance.
Jung-Ruivivar said it was only her second anaphylactic reaction. She received medical attention and was cleared to compete in Sunday’s qualifying round.
“I just want to let everyone know that I’m 100% safe and sound,” she said. “My muscles are tired and it’s definitely taken a toll on my body, but I’m doing everything I can to recover and perform at my best possible level.”
Jung-Ruivivar is an incoming freshman Stanford University, where she competes in NCAA gymnastics. After obtaining her dual citizenship through her Filipino heritage in 2022, she qualified to compete as an individual competitor for the Philippines at the Paris Olympics through this year’s World Cup series.
She trains at WOGA Gymnastics in Plano, Texas, alongside Hezly Rivera, who is the youngest member of the US delegation.
After competing in Thursday’s podium practice, Jung-Ruivivar told reporters that the reaction took a toll on his body. The last time it happened, he had to take a two-week break from training.
“I’m trying to recover from this, and it’s really difficult, because there’s not much I can do,” Jung-Ruivivar. said in the mixed zone, according to the gymnastics podcast “GymCastic.” “I just try to push myself and do as much as I can.”
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Two other former U.S. national team members, Aleah Finnegan and Emma Malabuyo, will also represent the Philippines in gymnastics — a path to the Olympics that is increasingly common as a deep field of U.S. gymnasts competes for just five Olympic places.
“It was really scary, because I had a lot of trouble breathing,” Jung-Ruivivar said an Instagram video. “I guess you could say I’ve had an Olympic experience like no other.”