In Pictures: Hezly Rivera shares 2024 recap as she expresses gratitude and excitement for the year ahead

Paris Olympics gold medalist Hezly Rivera shared a recap of 2024 by highlighting key moments such as her experiences at the Summer Games, the Olympic Trials, the Gold Over America Tour, time spent with teammates and parents, and her decision to join Louisiana State University (LSU) for her collegiate career, among others. Notably, Rivera was the youngest member of the USA’s gymnastics team.

Sharing the pictures on her Instagram handle, the 16-year-old expressed gratitude for the love and support she received from the people around her. Additionally, she shared her excitement for the upcoming year, captioning the post:

“2024 recap :) What a year. I’m so thankful to be with the people i love, and thank you for always believing and supporting me through all the ups and downs❤️ I’m truly so blessed🫶🏽 2025, see you soon😉 Jeremiah 29:11 #2024 #newyear #2025”

For the holiday season, Hezly Rivera traveled to the Dominican Republic with her parents, Henry and Heidy, to visit their homeland. Although both of her parents are from the Dominican Republic, they immigrated to the USA. There, they welcomed Hezly into the world in New Jersey.

Rivera also talked about her 'Pinch me' moment at the Paris Olympics, and recalled it in a recent interview with NBC Sports.

Hezly Rivera reflects on her ‘Pinch me’ moment at Paris Olympics

Hezly Rivera at New York Yankees v Texas Rangers game. Credits: Getty

Hezly Rivera called the Olympic gold medal-winning moment her ‘Pinch Me’ moment during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In an interview with NBC Sports in October, Rivera talked about how she felt after becoming an Olympic champion as she described the emotions that she experienced. She said:

“Obviously, winning an Olympic gold medal. That's everything I've ever wanted. It finally happened. It was honestly so surreal because I was like there's no way I'm holding an Olympic gold medal in my hand right now like that was insane. Pinched me for real but yeah it was crazy and it didn't sink in until a few days after actually I woke up and I was like, ‘No way I just won an Olympic gold medal.’” [1:30 onwards]

At the Paris Olympics, Rivera featured in the preliminaries where she competed on the uneven bars and balance beam, obtaining scores of 13.900 and 12.633 respectively.

Although she didn't compete in the finals, where the USA team comprising Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Jade Carey scored an impressive 71.296, much ahead of other nations, Rivera won the gold as part of the team in the preliminaries.