Olympian Levi Jung-Ruivivar takes leave over disorder struggle

Metro Manila, Philippines - Filipino-American athlete Levi Jung-Ruivivar is taking a break from school as she recovers from an eating disorder.

“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,” she said in an Instagram post.

The 18-year-old Olympic gymnast opened up about her struggles and how these affect her training and studies.

“I struggled with an eating disorder prior to my time at WOGA (World Olympic Gymnastics Academy) and Stanford. My time at Stanford has been everything I dreamed of and more,” she said.

“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,” she added.

Jung-Ruivivar was the country’s youngest representative at the Paris 2024 Olympics, finishing 40th in the women's artistic individual all-around event.