Hezly Rivera is flipping the script in the Olympic women’s gymnastics competition.
The 16-year-old New Jersey native is set to make her Olympic debut as the youngest gymnast on Team USA, joining forces with veteran Simone Biles, who will captain the five-member squad.
Rivera is also the youngest U.S. competitor in any sport at the Paris Games.
“We’re really excited to, kind of, show her the ropes,” Biles said, per TODAY. “And at least she doesn’t have to do it alone. She has four veterans that have been there before.”
The young star secured fifth place all-around at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials in Minneapolis, posting a two-day all-around total of 111.15, just shy of Biles, who earned her third appearance at the sport’s biggest stage with a score of 117.225.
“I cannot believe that I’m here right now. It’s just — all my hard work has been paying off,” Rivera told TODAY after the trials. “I’m so excited to represent Team USA at the Olympics. I’m, like, shocked.”
She started at a young age
Rivera’s journey into the sport began at the age of five, when a birthday party at a gymnastics facility revealed her natural talent, according to NBC.
The event staff were so impressed that they suggested her parents sign her up for gymnastics lessons, where she quickly excelled and made her mark.
Rivera met Biles when she was seven
Eight years ago, when Rivera was just seven years old, a then-19-year-old Biles on the brink of an Olympic debut in Rio made a surprise visit to ENA Gymnastics, Rivera’s local gym in Paramus, N.J.
Fast forward less than a decade, and Rivera is now teammates with the USA gymnastics stalwart she idolizes in an epic twist of fate.
At ENA, Rivera also trained alongside social media sensation and LSU star Olivia “Livvy” Dunne, another gymnastics phenom hailing from New Jersey.
Jersey, ENA Gymnastics, in a throwback photo. Courtesy of Craig Zappa / ENA Gymnastics
Initially coached by Maggie Haney, who also trained 2016 Olympian and Jersey native Laurie Hernandez, Rivera’s family relocated to Plano, Texas, so she could train at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy and better pursue her dream.
“I know that anything is possible, so if I keep working hard in the gym, I know that I can achieve anything,” Rivera shared after the move, according to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. “My family made the commitment to come here and moved here just so that I could train.”
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
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- Meet Hezly Rivera, the 16-year-old US women’s gymnastics team sensation
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She attends virtual high school
Rivera is a student at Connection Academy, a virtual high school program that provides her with the flexibility she needs to balance her gymnastics career.
Though it’s her first Olympics, Paris will be yet another milestone on the young gymnast’s impressive resume.
Her USA Gymnastics profile boasts gold on the balance beam and bronze in both the floor exercise and all-around at the 2024 Winter Cup in Louisville.
She also dominated the junior division at the 2023 Winter Cup with top finishes on the beam, floor and in the all-around, and snagged second place with her majestic floor routine at the 2023 Junior World Championships.
The Women’s gymnastics events begin July 28 at 5 a.m. ET with the qualification rounds at Bercy Arena in Paris.
Team USA, who settled for the silver medal in the team event at the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021, is eager for redemption and determined to bring home the gold.
Rivera will compete alongside Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Biles, who is poised to make history.
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With just one more Olympic medal, the 27-year-old U.S. gymnast will surpass Shannon Miller and hold the record for the most medals earned by an American gymnast.
If she wins gold in the all-around, she will also become the oldest women’s all-around Olympic gold medalist since 1952.
Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong will also be on hand as alternates.