Photo credit: Levi Jung-Ruivivar

Levi Jung Ruivivar, one of the Philippines' rising stars in gymnastics, recently took to Instagram to express her disappointment over missing a significant event in Manila. In a heartfelt post, Levi revealed that she was unaware of her invitation to the Heroes event, where Filipino Olympians were honored by President Bongbong Marcos.

"I truly wish from the bottom of my heart that I could have attended and been part of this event, but unfortunately, I was never informed that I was invited or presented with the opportunity to go," Levi wrote, capturing the attention of many.

Levi explained that she first heard about the event from a member of the Olympic delegation. Curious and eager to be part of the celebration, she reached out to the head of her National Sports Association (NSA) on August 7th to ask about the event. However, she was told that the event was only for medalists, which left her confused since she had heard that all Olympians were invited.

What happened next only deepened her disappointment. "The following week I was surprised when I saw all Filipino Olympians, except for me, Aleah, and Emma, in Manila participating in a meeting with President Bongbong Marcos and participating in a parade," she shared. "I was really hurt considering this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I missed out on."

Levi’s absence from the event was especially painful given her dedication and sacrifices to represent the Philippines. "I wanted to be part of the celebration with my fellow Olympians and to share in the excitement of the success of this Olympics with my country,"

Despite this, Levi remains grateful for the support she’s received and is excited about continuing her gymnastics journey with the Philippines. "I am truly excited to continue competing for the Philippines, and I look forward to taking every opportunity to come to the Philippines and hopefully inspire the new generation of Filipina gymnasts,"