Gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar, a former member of the U.S. national team who now represents the Philippines, said she suffered a “severe allergic reaction” in the Olympic Village on Monday.
Jung-Ruivivar, 18, has a nut allergy but said in an Instagram post that she doesn’t believe she ingested the allergen.
“On the way to the treatment center, my allergy symptoms quickly worsened and my breathing became very difficult, my throat started to tighten, my chest was itchy and I had severe swelling,” she said.
She had her EpiPen with her and self-injected as she tried to locate the village emergency medical clinic and eventually called an ambulance.
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Jung-Ruivivar said it was only her second anaphylactic reaction, but she received medical treatment and was cleared to compete in Sunday’s qualifying round.
“I just want everyone to know that I am perfectly healthy and safe,” she said. “My muscles are tired and it has taken a toll on my body, but I am doing everything I can to recover and perform at the best level possible.”
Jung-Ruivivar is a freshman at Stanford University, where she will compete in NCAA gymnastics. After earning dual citizenship through her Filipino heritage in 2022, she qualified to compete as an individual for the Philippines at the Paris Olympics through the World Cup series earlier this year.
She trains at WOGA Gymnastics in Plano, Texas, alongside Hezly Rivera, who is the youngest member of the U.S. delegation.
After participating in podium training on Thursday, Jung-Ruivivar told reporters that the reaction had taken a toll on her body. The last time it happened, she had to take a two-week break from training.
“I’m trying to recover from it and it’s really hard because there’s not much I can do about it,” Jung-Ruivivar said in the mixed zone, according to the gymnastics podcast “GymCastic.” “I’m just trying to keep going and do everything I can.”
Two other former U.S. national team members, Aleah Finnegan and Emma Malabuyo, will also represent the Philippines in gymnastics — a path to the Olympics that is becoming increasingly common as a large number of American gymnasts compete for just five Olympic spots.
“It was really scary because I was really struggling to breathe,” she said in an Instagram video. “I guess you could say I had an Olympic experience like no other.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
