Hezly Rivera, the youngest of Team USA’s 600 athletes, will make her Olympic debut at the age of 16, according to Good Morning America.
“It feels incredible — this doesn’t have to happen too often, so I’m very excited to be the youngest team member of the group,” Rivera told Good Morning America. “I felt so happy and super excited because this is what I’ve been working for my whole life. So for it to finally come true is so exciting and so surreal.”
In a recent video from NBC Sports, Rivera is seen training for the fast-approaching Paris Olympics, showcasing her routines on the balance beam, vault and uneven bars.
Although she encountered minor challenges during the session, such as wobbling on the balance beam and not sticking her landing on the vault, she excelled on the uneven bars.
According to the Olympic Games, Rivera’s journey to the Olympics began by chance at age 5. During a friend’s birthday party at a gymnastics gym, staff suggested to her parents that she try out for the team.
Since then, she has achieved significant success in gymnastics competitions, including by winning her first all-around title at the 2023 Winter Cup.
Her senior debut took place this year ahead of the Olympic trials at the 2024 Winter Cup, where she secured third place, standing behind world champions Kayla DiCello and Skye Blakely, the article said.
At the Olympic trials, Rivera competed with Olympic veterans such as Simone Biles and Suni Lee. She ranked seventh in the all-around on the first day of competition but shined on the second day, earning fifth place.
“I thought of it as any other meet,” Rivera said, per the Olympic Games. “I was just thinking, okay, it’s just me and the beam or me and the bar and I’m just saluting my coach.”
During a press conference, Biles expressed her admiration and support for Rivera.
“She can’t even drive!” Biles said. “Should we teach her how to drive before she gets to Paris? Like, jeez.”
“She’s so young, she’s so cute, she’s so smart, she’s beautiful,” she continued. “We’re really proud of her for making this team and we’re really excited to show her the ropes and at least she doesn’t have to do it alone, she has four veterans that have been there before.”