At U.S. Classic, gymnast Hezly Rivera can see how far she's come

NBC Sports

3 days ago

Hezly Rivera is at the center of promotions for the U.S. Classic gymnastics meet — both online and on Interstate 90 digital billboards near NOW Arena.
It's a testament to — and reminder of — her breakout last summer.
While the rest of the 2024 Olympic champion team is sitting out elite competition for now, that group's youngest member is the headliner in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, for the Classic, the primary tune-up meet for the national championships in three weeks.
CNBC and Peacock air live coverage Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
Nick Zaccardi,
One year ago, Rivera was the reigning U.S. junior all-around champion seeking to prove herself among internationally acclaimed senior gymnasts like Simone Biles and Suni Lee.
Rivera finished 24th in the senior division at the 2024 U.S. Classic (about a week after her grandmother died), then sixth in her senior U.S. Championships debut and fifth at the Olympic Trials. She was picked for the five-woman Olympic team and, at age 16, was the youngest U.S. athlete across all sports in Paris.
She has a gold medal to show for it. Plus a set of Olympic rings on the wall above her bed.
'My mindset is kind of like, I achieved my dreams, I achieved my goals, but I still have more (goals), so I kind of like to put that (the Olympics) in the back of my head for now,' Rivera told NBC Sports. 'Every time in the gym, I don't think that I went to the Olympics. I'm just kind of training like I've almost never been, in a way.'
In Paris, Rivera competed on uneven bars and balance beam in the qualifying round. She became the youngest American to win Olympic gold since swimmer Katie Ledecky and gymnast Kyla Ross at the 2012 London Games.
She learned from practicing with Biles, seeing up close how the greatest of all time perfected her routines. She gained confidence from going on walks and getting coffee with Lee, who told Rivera to trust her training.
After coming home, Rivera took two well-earned and much-needed weeks off from gymnastics. 'I laid down, or I sat on the couch. That's literally all I did.'
She returned to training at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Texas, overcame three weeks of initial soreness and was back competing in February.
Last month, she helped lead the U.S. to the Pan American team title, plus took all-around bronze at the meet in Panama (won by Jayla Hang, who is also in the Classic field).
Rivera boldly went into the 2024 season believing she could make the Olympic team. Ahead of this year's biggest meets, she has already discussed new goals with coach Valeri Liukin.
At nationals in New Orleans from Aug. 7-10, she can become the youngest U.S. senior all-around champion since Ragan Smith in 2017.
Then in the early fall, a selection competition will be held, after which the four-woman roster will be announced for October's World Championships in Indonesia. This year's worlds include individual events only.
'I've truly just found a next level of confidence in myself that honestly wasn't really there last year,' she said. 'I've been more confident in my gymnastics this past year, especially these past few months. I've been feeling more comfortable with my gymnastics, and I can trust myself a little bit more. ... I'm just really excited to show everyone and prove to myself that I can do this again.'
Mary Omatiga,