Emma Malabuyo by Leena Duwadi photos courtesy of Emma Malabuyo
A
remarkable number of Flower Mound talents have shined a light on the town’s name with their extraordinary achievements in what they do. Emma Malabuyo is one such rising star who, at a young age, has established herself as an artistic gymnast. She is a five-time member of the U.S. national team and has earned a total of 25 medals for Team USA. She qualified as an elite gymnast in 2015. Her magical strength of balance has rewarded this young athlete for being one of 10 players representing the US Women’s Gymnastics Team and traveling to the Tokyo Olympics as one of four alternates! “Dreams do come true; I still can’t believe it!” she shared on her social media after being selected for the Olympics. “Since I was a little girl, I dreamt about going to the Olympics. Grateful for all the love and support from my family, friends, and coaches. I’m so thankful”, she also mentioned. On Independence Day, in honor of celebrating the outstanding success of this 18-year-old, FM mayor Derek France presented her with a proclamation declaring July 4 as Emma Malabuyo Day in Flower Mound. It was a proud moment
26 | FLOWER MOUND TOWN LIFE | AUGUST 2021
for Flower Mound people as they cheered for this historic announcement. On behalf of the town, mayor France wished all the best for her upcoming endeavors. Emma is training as an “all arounder” and can potentially get called for any or all gymnastics events in the Olympic games.
an injury sidelined her sports journey at the peak of her career – not just once, but twice. It was in 2018 when she became eligible for senior competition.
Born in Mountain View, California, Emma started gymnastics at the age of five and never looked back.
“I had an injury in 2018, I also had surgery in 2019, and I couldn’t compete,” Emma mentioned. “I had to take a step back and look at how I can better myself even though I’m not doing gymnastics.”
“I was really good at swinging across the monkey bars at two years old, so my parents signed me up at Little Gym,” she recalled. Everything looked perfect until
That was the time when her sports spirit worked the most. It was a challenging phase. However, she was committed to conquering it.
www.LiveLocalMagazines.com
