Eight years ago a future gymnastics star in the making was left in awe when Olympic hopeful Simone Biles made a shock appearance at her gym in Paramus, New Jersey.
The seven-year-old, who posed for a photo with Biles before gushing over the encounter on Instagram, already held dreams of reaching the same dizzying heights as her idol despite only just setting off on her own journey in the sport.
Now, less than a decade on, that young girl from New Jersey is on the same Olympic team as her.
Last week Hezly Rivera became USA’s new gymnastics sensation when she sealed her place at the 2024 Games in Paris at just over 16 years of age, joining a team consisting of seasoned pro and former champions such as Biles, 27.
The teenager unexpectedly secured her spot after finishing fifth all-around at the Olympic trials in Minnesota, where she seized the moment after fellow prospects Skye Blakely, 19, and Kayla DiCello, 20, sustained injuries.
Hezly Rivera was star-struck when she met US Olympic contender Simone Biles back in 2016
Eight years on the country’s new gymnastics sensation is now Biles’ Olympic teammate
She then produced an exhilarating display of her own to storm into this summer’s Games, with her score of 27.975 across two balance-beam routines beating both Biles and reigning all-around champion Suni Lee.
Rivera also tied for the top score with Joscelyn Roberson, cementing her status as the new kid on the block in US gymnastics and a potential successor to poster-girl Biles.
Alongside a number of veterans all in their 20s, she will head to the French capital as the youngest member of the team by some distance.
‘She’s so young. She can’t even drive!’ Biles joked about Rivera in an interview with Hoda Kotb on Today. ‘Should we teach her how to drive before we get to Paris?’
Later this month, however, it will be time for business as the group heads to Paris with gold on their mind.
‘It feels so surreal,’ Rivera said about making it onto the Olympic team. ‘It’s just all my hard work has been paying off. I’m so excited.’
Rivera, 16, is joining Biles at the Paris Games after an incredible trial display which saw her beat her idol’s balance beam score
She is the youngest member of the US gymnastics team by some distance this summer
Rivera, who comes from Oradell, New Jersey, said her early rise in the sport feels ‘surreal’
The girl from Oradell first stumbled upon her destiny when, at the age of five, she attended a birthday party with her Dominican father, Henry Rivera, 44, at a gymnastics gym.
After showing her talent with a series of cartwheels and flips, local coaches approached Henry and urged him to bring his daughter into Paramus’ ENA Gymnastics center.
‘They said, “You got to bring her in,”‘ Rivera’s father told the New York Post. ‘She made the team on the first audition. That’s very unusual.’
In her time at ENA, the future Olympian trained alongside soon-to-be college stars four years her senior, including LSU and TikTok sensation Olivia Dunne. University of Alabama star Corinne Bunagan was another high-profile member of the gym.
By the age of eight she even began homeschooling in order to prioritize gymnastics practice. ‘All she ever wanted to do was be in the gym,’ Henry added.
On her journey to Olympic stardom, Rivera’s family have been prepared to make sacrifices of their own to help maximize her potential. Two-and-a-half years ago Henry, along with mom Heidy Ruiz, younger brother Hanly Rivera and older sister Carhelis Abreu, agreed to pack up and move from New Jersey to Plano, Texas, so that their aspiring gymnast could train under the tutelage of five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin.
Liukin, who won an all-around gold at the 2008 Beijing Games, is also coach to three-time Olympic champion Gabby Douglas amongst many others.
She previously trained alongside future college stars four years her senior, including LSU and TikTok sensation Olivia Dunne (pictured)
Her dad Henry also provided inspiration by getting her to read Kobe Bryant’s autobiography
Two-and-a-half years ago Henry agreed to move to Plano, Texas, so that Hezly could train under the tutelage of five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin (pictured)
And after making the move to Texas, Henry provided his daughter with even more inspiration when he introduced her to late NBA star Kobe Bryant’s book: ‘The Mamba Mentality: How I Play.’
Henry, who works as a senior director and testing engineer at a technology company, added about Hezly: ‘Her ticket was always outworking everyone. Her mentality was almost that “mamba mentality.” If you want something – you go for it.
‘It’s never going to be handed [to you], especially being a Latina.’
As her name was called out at the Olympic trials last week, Rivera’s dad burst into tears in an emotional moment captured live on TV. Years of sacrifice and dedication to aid his youngest girl on her gymnastics journey had paid off a whole lot earlier than expected.
A clip of Henry wiping away tears while recording it quickly went viral on social media as fans were left chuffed for the man from the Dominican Republic and his family.
‘I couldn’t hold back,’ he said. ‘We’re still pinching ourselves. I told her nobody could take this away from you.’
While her dad savors the moment, Hezly is keeping both feet on the ground despite admitting she has fulfilled a lifelong dream by making it to the Olympics. Almost two years before turning 18 she is already a wise head on young shoulders.
Rivera’s father, who is from the Dominican Republic, could not be prouder of his daughter
This summer she will fulfil a lifelong ambition when she lines up for USA at the Olympics
Despite only just turning 16, it appears the girl from New Jersey is not fazed in the slightest
And by the sound of things, the size of the occasion in Paris this summer may not even faze her.
Alicia Sacramone Quinn, 2008 Olympic silver medalist and the strategic lead at USA Gymnastics, said about Rivera at last week’s trials: ‘I asked her before [the meet], “Are you nervous?”
‘She’s like “No… you look nice by the way.” I was like “Thank you,” but I was very impressed with her demeanor.
‘She is just so mature for a 16-year-old.’
