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Stanford Gymnastics' Levi Jung-Ruivivar made an announcement about her plans for the ongoing NCAA season. The gymnast announced that she would not be participating in the 2024/25 NCAA season as she has decided to take a brief leave of absence from Stanford during the winter quarter to heal from an eating disorder.
Jung-Ruivivar revealed that she was skeptical about sharing information about her struggles with her eating disorder; however, she decided to be open about it for a variety of reasons. The Stanford gymnast wanted to minimize the shame she feels around it. Additionally, she wants to become a voice for people undergoing similar struggles.
Moreover, Jung-Ruivivar expressed that she wanted to be honest and transparent with the people who have been a part of her journey and stood by her. She took to X to share a detailed note which read:
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"Hi everyone, I wanted to come on here today to share some deeply personal information. I have decided to redshirt this season and take a brief leave of absence from Stanford (just the winter quarter) to heal from an eating disorder I have been struggling with. I will return to school and training before the spring quarter starts."
"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."
Furthermore, she thanked her family, friends, coaches, and team for their unwavering support as she navigates to overcome her eating disorder.
Levi Jung-Ruivivar on qualifying for the Paris Olympics
Levi Jung-Ruivivar's career saw a massive boost in 2024 when she qualified for the Paris Olympics. The Philipino gymnast spoke about pushing her limits to achieve the major milestone.
As she needed a perfect 30 points to book a berth in the Olympic team, Jung-Ruivivar revealed how her coach urged her to go all in and compete in a harder routine that she had never done before.
“[My coach and I] decided it was in my best interest to just go big and do my harder routine, which I’ve never actually competed before,“ Jung Ruivivar said. “It was a very big risk to do it, but I was like, I might as well go all in, do what I can and give it my best," she said. (as quoted by the Stanford Daily)
"I felt completely disconnected from my body, and I dissociated. I just felt so incredibly happy and there was so much joy in my heart,” she added.
Jung-Ruivivar transitioned from competing for Team USA to representing the Philippines as her father is a Filipino national, and the Philippines offered her more competitive opportunities and greater flexibility.
