Who is Hezly Rivera? Meet the newcomer of the Team USA women's gymnastics team
With all of the excitement around the return of women's gymnastics record-breaker Simone Biles, much of Team USA's spotlight has been on the four-time Olympic gold medalist. The official Team USA artistic gymnastics roster is comprised of mostly well-known veterans who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics — Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles — and one 16-year-old newcomer Hezly Rivera.
Rivera qualified for the team on Sunday night when she finished fifth overall in the all-around competition at the Olympic Trials in Minneapolis. She also placed first on balance beam, fourth on uneven bars and eighth on floor.
The Oradell, New Jersey, native who now resides and trains in Plano, Texas, only became eligible for senior-level competition this year. At the junior level, she won two silver medals at the 2023 World Championships in the team event and the floor exercise.
“All my hard work has been paying off.,” Rivera said in an interview with NBC’s “TODAY” show. “I'm so excited to represent Team USA at the Olympics.”
Rivera, who is newly 16 after her birthday on June 4, is the youngest on the team the other four members being in their 20s.
Twenty-seven-year-old Biles poked fun at Rivera's age in the news conference after the trials competition on Sunday night, "She can’t even drive! Should we teach her how to drive before we get to Paris?"
Despite this kind-hearted joke, Biles said she and the other returning competitors are also looking forward to taking Rivera under their wings and showing her the ropes of Olympic competition.
"We're definitely going to guide her through the ropes, we've been there before. We've done it," Biles said in the conference.
Speaking to NBC, Rivera said she was in shock and expressed gratitude for her spot on the team.
“It feels so surreal, I cannot believe that I'm here right now," she said. "I’m so grateful to be here and to be called to the Olympic team, this has been my dream ever since I was 8."
