“I still look up to Nastia Liukin to this day”- Hezly Rivera makes feelings clear as she names 2008 Olympic champion as one of her role models

Hezly Rivera named Nastia Liukin as one of her role models during a recent interview with Inside Gymnastics. Rivera, who is one of the top talents in gymnastics, revealed that she envisions the five-time Olympic medalist as her idol.

Liukin is a nine-time World Championship medalist and has also been inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame and USOP Hall of Fame, respectively. She etched her name in history by clinching five Olympic medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Rivera shared her thoughts on her idols, including the 35-year-old.

“Nastia, obviously, her parents coach me, but I’ve been looking up to her probably since I was 6 years-old. I’m not even joking! I would watch her literally every day just compete, and I was like, ‘oh my gosh. I want be like her!’ I still look up to her to this day. She’s one of my biggest role model models, my biggest motivation.”

Liukin’s father, Valeri Liukin, was a four-time Olympic medalist gymnast and her mother, Anna Kotchneva, was a three-time rhythmic gymnast medalist at the World Championships. They both coach Rivera, who was the youngest gymnast to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024. For her collegiate career, Rivera has committed to Louisiana State University.

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Nastia Liukin shared her childhood story and inspiration behind gymnastics

Nastia Liukin at the Beijing 2008 - Artistic Gymnastics - Apparatus Finals - Source: Getty

Nastia Liukin started showing passion for gymnastics from a very young age and her aptitude for the sport grew day-by-day. She excelled in gymnastics early on and went on to win prestigious accolades throughout her career. During her appearance on “The Squeeze” podcast, the legendary gymnast shared her childhood story of how she started gymnastics.

“I was doing everything better than the girls that they were coaching just on my own just like trying to copy and they were like fine, 'You can like start in the little pre-team and then the team' and I started competing when I was five years old. They saw how much passion and love I had for it and obviously, I had some pretty good genes and a god-given talent,” Nastia Liukin mentioned. [11:37 onwards]

Both her parents were prominent gymnasts and moved to the US when Liukin was two and a half years old. They established the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Texas. The legendary Olympic gymnast also shared how her parents were initially reluctant for her to join the sport but later on, supported her as they saw her extraordinary talents.