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Olympian Levi Jung-Ruivivar announces break from competition, reveals struggle with eating disorder
Filipina-American gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar announced that she is taking a break from the US NCAA competitions and is taking a leave of absence from Stanford University to heal from an eating disorder.
Jung-Ruivivar, who represented the Philippines in the 2024 Paris Olympics, said she will take some time with hopes of returning to both school and training before the spring quarter.
"I have decided to redshirt this season and take a brief leave of absence from Stanford to heal from an eating disorder I have been struggling with. I struggled with an eating disorder prior to my time at WOGA and Stanford," the 18-year-old gymnast said in an Instagram post on Thursday.
"My time at Stanford has been everything I dreamed of and more. I have been loving gymnastics and school and both have been going well, however I felt the disorder was infringing on my ability to fully enjoy these aspects of my life; it was pulling an abundant amount of my mental and physical energy away from the things I hold dear.”
Jung-Ruivivar also said she was sharing it with the public as she believes it was important to do so.
"I had lots of trepidation sharing this information with the public as it is something I haven't told many of my closest friends, however I think it is important for various reasons," she added.
"First, I want to be extremely honest with everyone who is part of my journey. Second, I believe by being transparent I can minimize the shame I feel around it. Third, I want to be the voice for anyone who may be struggling with an eating disorder, you are not alone."
Many have shown their support on her social media post including fellow Philippine Olympian Aleah Finnegan and US Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera, as well as the accounts of USA Gymnastics and Stanford Gymnastics.
—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News
