Aleah Finnegan is facing one of the biggest questions of her career. The LSU gymnast admitted that she does not know what comes next after undergoing three surgeries in three months.

“I'm 23 years old,” Finnegan said while reflecting on her future. “And I've done a lot with my career. And some people might say, ‘Aleah, you've done it all.’ It kind of goes back and forth in my head, probably every single day. So right now, I actually don't have an answer for you.”

Finnegan signed with LSU back in November 2020. She competed in the all-around at 13 meets for the LSU Tigers women's gymnastics and became a finalist for both the 2025 Honda Sport Award and AAI Award.

Her top scores during the season were 9.950 on vault and bars, a perfect 10 on beam, 9.975 on floor exercise, and 39.725 in the all-around.

The 23-year-old broke the silence about her uncertainty as she recovered from surgeries on her wrist and both ankles.

The procedures led her to the longest break of her gymnastics career, out of the sport after years of nonstop competition.

“This is the longest I have been out of the gym,” she said. “That’s why I’m kind of itching to be upside down again.”

The comments offer a glimpse of a different side of Finnegan, who has long been known for her energy and consistency, both at LSU and internationally.

Finnegan celebrated an early recovery milestone on social media last month when she shared a TikTok video of her first handstand in months.

Injuries continued to affect her career over the years. Back in 2019, an injury sidelined her. Later on, around 2020, Finnegan had a navicular bone fracture, revealing the consistent physical challenges she faced. But nothing could stop her from chasing success.

Aleah Finnegan’s Journey on the International Podium

Finnegan has a total of four gold, two silver, and three bronze. She continued her strong run at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games by earning bronze on the balance beam in Thailand.

The Filipina gymnast scored 12.467 in December, last year, adding a sixth career SEA Games medal.

At Thammasat University Rangsit Campus, Aleah Finnegan captured the Philippines’ first gymnastics gold of the 2025 SEA Games with a dramatic victory in the women’s vault final.

The victory, however, came with a scoring dispute. Initial scores placed Finnegan in second with an average of 13.334, trailing Vietnam’s Thi Quynh Nhu Nguyen, who was credited with 13.400. It was later revealed to be a scoring error.

Finnegan's current hiatus has now exceeded any break in her career. But this time, recovery is the goal.

Share your thoughts on Finnegan’s career, which is filled with setbacks.

Read more at Gymnastics Digest.

Written by

Chitrak Mukherjee

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar