Olivia Dunne's former teammate Aleah Finnegan pens heartfelt tribute after losing close family member

Olivia Dunne's former teammate Aleah Finnegan pens a heartfelt tribute after experiencing the loss of her loved one. Finnegan competed alongside Dunne for the LSU Tigers. She joined the gold and purple pack in 2022 as a freshman.

Months after announcing her decision to conclude her collegiate career and move to the Philippines, Finnegan mourned the loss of her grandmother Catalina A. Cruz, who passed away at 92. The gymnast expressed her love for her late grandmother while sharing a picture from the funeral service, and wrote:

"We love you Nanay," adding a heart emoji.

Finnegan expressed her gratitude towards her grandmother for having lived a long life, stating:

"Thankful for 92 years."

She also shared a few heartwarming glimpses of her grandmother's visit to LSU.

Finnegan pays tribute to her grandmother. (Image from Finnegan's Instagram story)

During her collegiate career with the LSU Tigers, she helped the program clinch its first-ever NCAA Championships title in 2024. Finnegan also secured the national title in the floor event. She returned to the Philippines to pursue her international career. Finnegan, alongside Emma Malabuyo and Levi-Jung Ruivivar, became the first team to represent their country since the national team at the Tokyo edition in 1964.

Olivia Dunne once opened up on why she does not want to compete at the Olympics

Olivia Dunne at the 2025 US Open Tennis Championships in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York City. (Photo by GC Images)

Olivia Dunne once reflected on the ankle injury she suffered during the 2018 USA Championships, stating it forced her to limit her gymnastics career only to the collegiate level. In an interview with Fox News, she took pride in never undergoing a knife, even after suffering from a major injury.

"I was actually competing on a hurt ankle at the 2018 USA Championships and, yeah, part of my ankle bone died. … Yeah, it just died. So, my Olympic dreams died with it," she said. "It kind of healed a little bit. It stopped bothering me. I went to college after that, but it was so painful. That was kind of my first real injuries." "I’ve actually never gotten any surgery, which is kind of crazy for a gymnast. And I was like, I think if I just give myself time to heal, I can heal without surgery. But that’s something I take pride in. I have never needed surgery as a gymnast, which is very uncommon."

Olivia Dunne announced her retirement from gymnastics after concluding her collegiate career with the LSU Tigers following her super senior year.

Edited by Janhavi Shinde