Dominican-American Hezly Rivera is headed to Paris. The 16-year-old gymnast is confirmed to be part of Team USA’s five-women Olympic team and will be representing the United States alongside big names like Simone Biles in the Summer Olympics, which are set to begin on Friday, July 26th. The gymnastics competition, in particular, starts July 27th.
But Rivera wasn’t expected to make the team. The 16-year-old from Hackensack, New Jersey didn’t just enter the Olympics gymnastics trials as an underdog, she entered them as a longshot. Her cool demeanor, standout performance, and injuries to three top gymnasts, Shilese Jones, Sky Blakely, and Kayla DiCello left an opportunity for Rivera. And the young gymnast took advantage.
“So many emotions. I was happy and excited,” Rivera said. “I am so grateful to be here and to be selected on this Olympic team. I have made so many sacrifices to get here so I want to thank God, my coaches, family, my friends, and my teammates. I just can’t believe that I am here.”
Biles finished first in the trials, giving her the only automatic berth to the Olympics. The other four athletes were chosen by the election committee. Rivera, whose strengths are on bars and beams had a strong Olympics trials, scoring at least a 13.700 on all four bars and beam routines, was the obvious choice.
Rivera joins Simone Biles, reigning Olympic All-Around Champion Suni Lee, Olympic floor gold medalist Jade Carey, and Olympic team silver medalist Jordan Chiles on the team. Rivera is a two-time Junior World silver medalist and a 2024 Winter Cup balance beam champion.
“I mean, she can’t even drive,” Biles said of Rivera. “Should we teach her how to drive before she gets to Paris? Jeez! She’s so young. She’s so cute. She’s so smart. She’s beautiful. We’re really proud of her for making this team, and we’re really excited to kind of show her the ropes. At least she doesn’t have to do it alone. She has four veterans that have been there before.”
At 16 years, Rivera is currently the youngest member of all sports in the Team USA delegation headline to the 2024 Olympic Games.