"Did I hear that right?" - Hezly Rivera reflects on her ‘shocking’ reaction to making the Paris Olympics team

Hezly Rivera reflected on her reaction to securing a spot on the USA’s five-member women’s gymnastics team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. With an impressive performance at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials in Minneapolis, the 16-year-old booked her place in her first-ever quadrennial games, becoming the youngest U.S. Olympian across all sports in Paris.

After giving her best effort at the trials, Rivera was pleased with her performance and believed she had likely made the USA Gymnastics alternate team. She reflected on this moment from the trials during an interview with Inside Gymnastics Magazine, saying:

“After I finished my vault, I came off, and I thought I probably made alternate. I did my job. I was so happy with my performance. I wasn’t thinking about anything. I was just chilling with my friends, and then they called our names, and I heard my name.”

Hezly Rivera was in disbelief on hearing her name as one of the members of the five-member team as she revealed her reaction to the announcement:

“And, I’m like, ‘Did I hear that right? Did I just make the Olympic team?’ I was so shocked and so surprised. I was so happy because I’ve been working for this ever since I was a young little girl. Now that it had finally come true, I was so excited. It honestly did not sink in at all until I was at the Olympics.”

Rivera finished as the fifth-best gymnast at the trials with an overall score of 111.15, behind the likes of Simone Biles (117.225), Suni Lee (111.675), Jordan Chiles (111.425) and Jade Carey (111.35). She later won gold in the women's team all-around event at the Paris Olympics after competing in the qualifications.

Hezly Rivera credits her early involvement in the sport to sister

Hezly Rivera at 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Gymnastics Trials (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Hezly Rivera once credited her elder sister, Carhelis Abreu, for her early enrollment in the sport. As a young girl, she often did cartwheels and handstands at home, which was considered dangerous at home.

In an interview with Remezcla.com ahead of the Paris Olympics, she reflected on her sister’s influence, sharing that it was her sister who suggested their mother get her involved in the sport. Rivera said:

“My sister used to tell my mom that she should put me in gymnastics because I was already doing cartwheels and handstands all over the house. It’s pretty dangerous to be doing that all over the house so my sister was like, you should put her in gymnastics so she can be in a safe spot and she can do whatever she wants and hopefully make it far.”

Meanwhile, her parents, including her father Henry and mother Heidy Ruiz, played an integral role in her success as they moved from one place to another to find the right training environment for Hezly. Her career progressed even further when she began training under coach Valeri Liukin, the father of four-time world champion Nastia Liukin.