Olympic champion Hezly Rivera makes feelings clear on why she committed to LSU Gymnastics

American gymnast Hezly Rivera has explained her decision to join the LSU gymnastics team to kickstart her collegiate career. Rivera, aged 16, was the youngest member of the American team that captured gold at the Paris Olympics. She will be balancing her collegiate career for the Tigers alongside her elite career in 2026.

Born in New Jersey, Rivera began gymnastic classes at the age of five. She is currently enrolled in the Connection Academy, which is an online high school program which allows her to compete in elite level gymnastics as well.

Rivera recently explained her decision to join LSU in an interview with Inside Gymnastics, where she said:

"I committed there because it felt like a home to me, and I saw the way that the coaches treat their gymnasts and I just saw it was very family-oriented, and that's what I personally really liked."

Rivera moved to Texas with her family in 2021 to join the World Olympics Gymnastics Academy. Now an Olympic gold medalist, the future looks bright for the young gymnast.

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Hezly Rivera targets LA Olympics in 2028

Hezly Rivera alongside her USA teammates at Paris 2024 - (Image via Getty)

Hezly Rivera revealed her ambitions for the future, as she looks to compete at the Olympics in 2028 as well as the World Championships this year. In an interview with Olympics.com in December 2024, she said:

“My goals are the 2025 Worlds, and ’26, ’27, and then the Olympics in 2028. Those are my long-term goals. But, obviously, I have little goals to worry about each and every day. I just set tiny goals, not just every day, but like every month, and just take it one step at a time and see where it takes me.”

Rivera announced in September 2024 that she would be competing for the LSU Tigers. In a post on Instagram, she expressed how excited she was to join.

"I am so blessed & excited to announce that I have verbally committed to Louisiana State University (LSU🙃) on a full athletic scholarship. thank you Jesus for this wonderful blessing! 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💜."

Hezly Rivera was the youngest member of the USA team across all sports at the Paris Olympics. She made the team after competing at the Olympic trials, finishing fifth overall after she tied for first place on the balance beam with a score of 14.275.