The first sign that Levi Ruivivar was destined for gymnastics? As an infant, she couldn’t stop climbing on furniture. 

By the time Ruivivar was 18 months old, her parents figured it was time to put that energy to good use, and they signed her up for a gymnastics class. Now a college freshman, Ruivivar competes as a Division I gymnast at Stanford, home to the nation’s fifth-ranked program. She made history at Paris 2024 as the youngest Filipino Olympian and one of just three women to represent the Philippines in gymnastics since 1964. 

Ruivivar is known for her “pretty, powerful” gymnastics, said Kendra Chang, her teammate. She also stands six inches taller than the average elite gymnast — which, as Ruivivar puts it, can be a challenge since “you can flip faster when you’re shorter.”

Despite the challenges that come with her height, Ruivivar was drawn to the thrill and power of gymnastics. After earning a spot on the Paramount Elite Gymnastics team at just seven years old, she was hooked.

“Every gymnast, or every Olympic athlete, has probably wanted to quit their sport,” Ruivivar said. “I just can’t imagine my life not doing [gymnastics]. And yes, my mom put me in it when I was a kid, but she always said I could’ve quit. I was never forced to do it. It was always because I wanted to.”

Ruivivar competed on the U.S. Youth National Team before deciding at 16 to represent the Philippines instead. She said her grandfather’s passing — and his deep influence on her Filipino upbringing — inspired her to reconnect with her heritage.

“Whenever I’d go to my Lolo’s house, he would tell us stories about growing up in the Philippines, and I was always mesmerized,” Ruivivar said.

Although she initially faced backlash from both the U.S. and the Philippines, switching national teams allowed Ruivivar to reconnect with her Filipino roots. She found comfort and pride in the Filipino community’s warmth: the easy chatter, shared meals, and routines that echoed the ones she’d grown up with alongside her grandfather.

“When [my teammates and I] went back to the Philippines, we met with President Bongbong Marcos, and he said ever since we competed at the Olympics, so many young girls had signed up for gymnastics classes,” she said. “He also said he was on the phone with the president of Malaysia, who was waking up at 3 a.m. because his daughters wanted to watch us compete.”

But Ruivivar’s journey hasn’t been without challenges. In January, she announced on Instagram that she would take a leave of absence during winter quarter to receive treatment for an eating disorder and would redshirt — sit out the year without losing eligibility — the 2025 season.

“I shared it publicly because I felt a lot of shame around my eating disorder,” Ruivivar said. “I wanted to take some of my power back and diminish the negative stigma I had around it, and just share with others to bring more awareness.”

Eating disorders are relatively common in gymnastics, Chang said, partly due to the sport’s emphasis on appearance. Over the years, several prominent gymnasts have spoken out, including Christy Henrich, whose death from anorexia in 1994 sparked national attention, and Kim Bui, who recently shared her experience with bulimia during her final season competing for Germany.

“We wear a leotard on TV, so our bodies are very publicly displayed, and it’s almost become a norm to talk about not eating or staying skinny,” Chang said. “[Ruivivar’s post] was very brave and vulnerable.”

Ruivivar hopes her story shows that struggling with an eating disorder doesn’t diminish the possibility of achieving great things. Taking a step back, she said, does not mean giving up — it can be part of coming back stronger.

Since her announcement, Ruivivar has received overwhelming support from coaches, medical staff, teammates and fans — many of whom have reached out to share their own stories.

“I don’t think anyone didn’t support me,” she said. “I’m in such a better place now than when I made that post.”

Now back at Stanford, Ruivivar is training again, juggling classes and recovery, and has channeled her energy into designing her own leotard with OZONE Gymnastics Apparel — a first step toward combining her love for gymnastics with her interest in business. Her eyes, though, are still set on something bigger: turning her lifelong passion into a profession.

“[The goal is] to become a professional gymnast,” Ruivivar said. “I love gymnastics, and I’m really excited to get back into the sport that I love so much.”