Last month she was celebrating her 16th birthday, and in a matter of weeks Hezly Rivera will be in Paris competing for Team USA alongside Olympic veterans Simone Biles and Suni Lee.
The gymnast from New Jersey landed a coveted spot on the women's gymnastics team over the weekend after a stellar performance at the U.S. trials in Minneapolis. At just 16 years old, she's currently the youngest athlete of any sport competing on behalf of Team USA later this month.
The relative newcomer will compete for Olympic medals for the first time on the world stage, but she's no stranger to winning. She recently competed in the 2024 Winter Cup, where she placed third all-around and clinched gold on the balance beam.
“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,” Rivera told NBC DFW after making the team.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Rivera said she managed to keep her cool during the trials, despite going up against a roster of former Olympians.
“I thought of it as every other meet. Just going out there and doing my thing, basically doing what I do in the gym. I was just thinking its just me and my beam or just me and the bar. I try to calm myself down beforehand. I [was thinking] I’m like the underdog and there wasn’t so much pressure on me which was probably a good thing. I just went out there and did my thing,” she said.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
New Jersey seems to be building a reputation for getting young athletes onto Team USA. Eight years ago, Old Bridge's Laurie Hernandez traveled to Rio where she won a team gold and an individual silver medal on balance beam.
Who is on the women's U.S. Gymnastics roster for the 2024 Olympics?
- Simone Biles
- Jordan Chiles
- Suni Lee
- Jade Carey
- Hezly Rivera
- Joscelyn Roberson (traveling replacement athlete)
- Leanne Wong (traveling replacement athlete)
