Hezly Rivera is heading to Paris as the youngest member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team. The 16-year-old earned her way onto the five-person squad by finishing a strong fifth in the all-around at the U.S. Olympic trials. Rivera says she tried to take an underdog mentality heading into the meet.
Hezly Rivera is introduced at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials on Friday, June 28, 2024 in Minneapolis . Hezly Rivera smiles as she is named to the 2024 Olympics team at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials on Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Minneapolis . Hezly Rivera competes in the floor exercise at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials on Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Minneapolis .
Still, the 2023 U.S. junior champion admits she was “shocked” when she heard her name called late Sunday night. She hoped she’d done enough to at least earn a spot as an alternate. Instead, she will walk onto the floor at Bercy Arena as part of a group that will be heavily favored to finish atop the podium.It’s a moment Rivera didn’t exactly anticipate after a shaky start in the run-up to the Olympic trials. She finished a distant 24th at the U.S.
And her somewhat unexpected arrival gives the oldest U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team ever a welcome jolt of youth., Rivera, who celebrated her 16th birthday less than a month ago, is a throwback to a time — not so long ago — when the U.S. Olympic roster was stuffed with teenagers.Biles — who briefly met Rivera before the 2016 Olympics while Rivera was still in elementary school — joked it might be up to the rest of the team to find a way to get her behind the wheel ahead of Paris.
Rivera even had the presence of mind to compliment Quinn on her outfit, a hint that she wasn’t exactly getting caught up in the enormity of the moment, something Rivera admits gets her “all scrambled and stuff.”
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