Emma Malabuyo Set to Compete for the Philippines at 2025 World Gymnastics Championships
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A UCLA graduate student assistant coach, Emma Malabuyo, will represent the Philippines in the balance beam and floor exercise at the 2025 World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 21. The Philippines is scheduled to compete in Subdivision 7 during the qualification rounds.
First World Championships for Rising Star
This marks Malabuyo’s debut appearance at the World Gymnastics Championships, building on a distinguished career that includes representing the Philippines at the 2024 Olympics. She will need to achieve a Top 8 finish in the qualification round to advance to the individual apparatus finals. Qualification events can be streamed live on Eurovision Sport. The Philippines will begin competition on Tuesday at 3 p.m. local time, which corresponds to 1 a.m. Pacific Time.
Proven Medalist with Extensive Experience
Malabuyo brings a wealth of international experience to the competition. She is a three-time medalist at the Asian Championships, securing gold in the floor exercise and bronze in the all-around competition in 2024, and a silver medal in the floor exercise in 2023. Prior to representing the Philippines, she served as an alternate for the U.S. team at the 2020 Olympics.
From 2016 to 2019, Malabuyo amassed an impressive 16 medals at the City of Jesolo Trophy, including gold medals in the all-around, balance beam, and floor exercise in 2018. Her collegiate career at UCLA culminated last season, where she earned recognition as a four-time balance beam All-American and contributed to three conference team championships.
NCAA Success Translates to International Stage
Malabuyo played a pivotal role in UCLA’s success, helping the team achieve a runner-up finish at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Individually, she was the NCAA runner-up on balance beam, achieving a remarkable score of 9.975. This collegiate success demonstrates her consistency and ability to perform under pressure, qualities that will be crucial as she competes on the world stage.
The apparatus finals for beam and floor are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25, commencing at 2 p.m. local time (Midnight PT), and will be available for streaming on Peacock. Malabuyo’s participation represents a significant moment for Philippine gymnastics and a testament to her dedication and skill.
