"Just met the President, No biggie" says 16-year-old Hezly Rivera after Joe Biden celebrates her and other Paris Olympians

Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera and several other American athletes who represented the country at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics were honored by President Joe Biden at the White House. Following the celebratory event, the 16-year-old gymnast said meeting the President was ‘no biggie’ and expressed her gratitude as well.

Rivera rose to the spotlight after winning the Junior all-around national title last year. She went on to lead the USA Women's gymnastics team to silver at the 2023 International Junior Championships before upgrading to senior level in 2024.

The 16-year-old didn't have Paris Olympics in her plans before an impressive display of gymnastics prowess coupled with injuries to several other top gymnasts, earned her a place in the five-member team. She won the gold medal in Paris as part of the USA women's gymnastics team and along with her, several other Olympians were celebrated by outgoing President Joe Biden on Monday, September 30 at the White House.

Following the event, Hezly Rivera shared a series of pictures on Instagram with President Biden. Expressing her gratitude, she wrote:

"just met the president, no biggie!!! thank you @joebiden @flotus"

Biden lauded the Olympians for ‘representing the best of America’ at the Paris Olympics, where Team USA topped the medal tally in a close battle with Republic of China.

"Thank you for representing the very best of America. They see you and they begin to believe in themselves,” he said. (via Inside The Games)

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Hezly Rivera commits to LSU for collegiate career

2024 Summer Olympics - Hezly Rivera wins gold medal with USA Gymnastics women's team (Source: Getty)

Hezly Rivera was the youngest member of Team USA at the Paris Olympics at 16 years of age. The Olympic gold medalist is yet to graduate from high school but has already announced that she will be pursuing her collegiate career at LSU.

“I am so blessed and excited to announce that I have verbally committed to Louisiana State University on a full athletic scholarship. Thank you to my family, coaches, and teammates for helping me throughout this process. I also want to thank all the girls, coaches, and staff at LSU for everything,” she wrote in an announcement on Instagram.

Rivera will graduate from high school in 2026 and is only expected to be seen in LSU colors in 2026-27 NCAA season. However, the Olympic medalist can also delay her joining till the 2028 Olympics.