Who is Hezly Rivera, the youngest US women’s gymnast

Hesley Rivera is defying expectations in women’s gymnastics at the Olympics.

The 16-year-old New Jersey native will be making her Olympic debut as Team USA’s youngest gymnast, teaming up with veteran Simone Biles, who serves as captain of the five-member team.

Rivera will also be the youngest U.S. athlete in any event at the Paris Games.

“I’m really looking forward to showing her the ropes,” Biles said. today“And at least she doesn’t have to do it alone. She has four veterans who have been through this before.”

The young star placed fifth overall at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials in Minneapolis with a two-day total score of 111.15 points, falling just short of Biles, who was competing on the sport’s biggest stage for the third time, with 117.225 points.

“I can’t believe I’m here now. It’s just all the hard work paying off,” Rivera said. today “I’m very happy to be representing the U.S. at the Olympics. It’s a real surprise,” he said after the qualifiers.

She started at a young age

Rivera’s path in sports began at age 5, when her natural talent became apparent at a birthday party at a gymnastics facility. NBC.

Event staff were so impressed that they encouraged her parents to enroll her in gymnastics classes, where she quickly excelled and excelled.

Rivera met Biles when she was 7 years old.

Eight years ago, when Rivera was just 7 years old, Biles, then 19 and on the brink of making her Olympic debut in Rio, paid a surprise visit to Rivera’s local gym, ENA Gymnastics Center in Paramus, New Jersey.

Less than a decade later, a twist of fate found Rivera teammates with the USA gymnastics star she idolized.

At ENA, Rivera also trained with another gymnastics phenom from New Jersey, LSU star Olivia “Livi” Dunn, who is a social media sensation.

Rivera was initially coached by Maggie Haney, who also coached 2016 Olympian and Jersey Shore native Laurie Hernandez, but her family relocated to Plano, Texas, so she could train at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy and pursue her dreams.

“I know anything is possible, so if I keep working hard in the gym, I know I can accomplish anything,” Rivera said after the transfer. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth“My family decided to come here so I could train and they moved.”

2024 Paris Olympics

She attends a virtual high school.

Rivera is a student at Connection Academy, a virtual high school program that gives her the flexibility she needs to balance her gymnastics career.

Paris will be her first Olympic Games and will mark another milestone in the young gymnast’s illustrious career.

she USA Gymnastics Profile At the 2024 Winter Cup in Louisville, she won gold on balance beam and bronze in floor exercise and individual all-around.

She also earned top finishes in the junior division at the 2023 Winter Cup on balance beam, floor exercise and individual all-around, and took second place on the floor exercise at the 2023 Junior World Championships with an impressive showing.

Women’s gymnastics will begin with the preliminary rounds on July 28 at 5 a.m. ET at the Bercy Arena in Paris.

After settling for silver in the team event at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics, the U.S. team is determined to get revenge and bring home the gold medal.

Rivera will be competing alongside Jordan Childs, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Biles, who is poised to make history.

With one more Olympic medal, the 27-year-old American gymnast will pass Shannon Miller as the all-time medal winner by an American gymnast.

If she wins the gold medal in the individual all-around, she will become the oldest women’s individual all-around Olympic gold medalist since 1952.

Jocelyn Roberson and Lianne Wong will also be there as alternates.