Hezly Rivera’s long road to a first Worlds
She’s been in this place before: U.S. champion, a likely star at the U.S. team for the World Championships. But it didn’t go according to plan, last time.
Last September, on the cusp of the 2025 Worlds in Jakarta, she rolled her ankle in training and was out of the running.
“Heartbreaking,” Liukin said. “She literally rolled her ankle on a simple drill for vault… it was just a fluke accident that sport unfortunately delivers for you. But nevertheless, I still have PTSD from that.”
This time, Rivera is aiming at a first Worlds sure of what she would carry into it.
“I think it just shows how strong I am mentally, because physically everything’s there,” she said. “This is a really great setup for World Championships. You don’t just compete for one day, you have multiple days.”
Leading the U.S. team’s next wave
The role is different now, too. Two years ago in Paris, Rivera was the 16-year-old nobody outside the sport knew, and no one inside the sport had expected to make the Olympic squad.
Now, she is the one the younger gymnasts look to.
“I just love kind of being a leader in a way, even though I am a vet,” she said. “It’s kind of weird to say that I am a vet… if anyone comes up to me with any questions, any of the younger athletes, I’m always happy to answer.”
Liukin sees it plainly. “She is such a kind person, and she has a lot of, like, motherly qualities in her,” she said. “She’s strong, so she’ll be a good leader.”
Rivera learned the part from the women who did it for her. At her first senior U.S. Championships and the Olympic Games Paris 2024, it was Suni Lee and Jade Carey steadying her.
“They were just right there with me,” she said. “They were just like big sisters to me.”
This week, she found herself passing it on, telling a younger teammate, Isabella Anzola, the same kind of thing.
“It’s a normal day at practice, just do you,” Rivera said. “You don’t have to do anything better, anything less.”