Paris Olympics gold medalist Hezly Rivera makes her feelings known on balancing collegiate career at LSU with elite gymnastics

American gymnast Hezly Rivera shared her thoughts on balancing her collegiate career at LSU with elite gymnastics. This comes just a few months after the 16-year-old agreed upon signing for the LSU Tigers.

Rivera, currently in her final years of school, is most likely to join the collegiate program in 2026. This makes her one of the most recent additions to the Olympian's list that have represented the LSU women's gymnastics team such as Aleah Finnegan.

Amidst this major career-defining decision, there have been questions about the management between her collegiate career and elite gymnastics in the next few years of her career.

In a recent interview with Olympics.com, Rivera was asked to shed light on this matter. In reply, Rivera mentioned the names of her Paris Olympic teammates such as Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey, saying:

"I might ask [my Olympic teammates] Jade [Carey] and Jordan [Chiles] about it, though, because they've been through the same things."

Hezly Rivera's teammate Jade Carey, besides competing for the national team in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, has been a part of the University of Oregon collegiate team since 2022. On the other hand, Chiles has also been successful in the NCAA sphere and has won two individual golds at NCAA events.

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Hezly Rivera opens up about maintaining a balance between education and life

Hezly Rivera wearing a red and blue leotard at the Target Arena during the US Olympics Gymnastics trials (Image via: Getty Images)

Hezly Rivera recently opened up about the importance of striking a proper balance between high school education and other chapters of her life.

In an interview, Rivera said she always focuses more on her priorities, be it associated with her high school education or life. She also emphasized the importance of teachers, coaches and family during in one's career. She said (via Forbes):

"I take it one day at a time and make sure I stay focused on my priorities. I stick to both my training and school schedule and make sure to always communicate with my coaches, teacher and family. They all help me balance everything going on."

She added:

"Whether it's on the floor, in school or in my personal life, communication with those around me such as coaches, teachers and family gives me the confidence and support to keep pushing forward.”

The 16-year-old American gymnast is not associated with any physical high school institutions and derived most of her education through the online program at the Connection Academy.