Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera reveals her middle name for the first time as she shares its meaning and inspiration

The Olympic gold-medalist gymnast, Hezly Rivera, is one of the emerging talents from the US gymnastics squad. Recently, she offered her answers to various questions posed by her supporters and one of them was about her middle name.

Rivera became the youngest member of an Olympic team that captured the top spot in the Paris Olympics 2024. During her takeover of the Instagram account of GKElite, an eminent gymnastic clothing brand, the rising gymnast revealed her middle name and the meaning it holds for her.

Screenshot of GK Elite's Instagram Story. Credits - IG/gkelite

“My middle name is ‘Esther’. I was named after my belated grandma. It means the star that shines the most.”

Rivera expressed that her maiden name is kept in remembrance of her grandmother. The talented gymnast also gave her outlook behind the meaning of the name.

The 16-year-old made her debut in 2023 as a senior elite Gymnast. She became a rising talent on the U.S. national team and excels on all apparatuses. However, two of her major ones are vault and floor exercises, as per team USA.

Rivera participated in many junior elite tournaments and made her way to the top in US gymnastics. She attends Connection Academy high school and has high aims with her eyes set on bigger competitions and making it to the Olympics again.

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Hezly Rivera on learning and discovering her strength with her team’s reassurance

Jordan Chiles, Hezly Rivera, Simone Biles, Jade Carey, and Suni Lee at the Gymnastics during the Paris 2024 Olympics. - Source: Getty

Hezly Rivera was one of the members of “Golden Girls,” the squad that won the team all-around gold medal in the Paris Olympics 2024. According to “NBC DFW,” Rivera, who was the youngest of them all, shared how she was reassured by her team members during the Paris run.

“I learned that, they just teach me to always be confident in myself and because they know that I can do it and them telling me that I can do it makes me believe it even more because they've already been through this and this whole process and the journey. So, I trust them.”

The team comprised one of the most decorated gymnasts, Simone Biles, six-time Olympic medalist Suni Lee, three-time Olympic medalist Jade Carey, and two-time Olympic medalist Jordan Chiles.