Olympic Gold Medalist Hezly Rivera Overcame a Fall and Hamstring Injury to Become the First U.S. Woman Not Named Simone Biles to Win Back-to-Back National Titles Since 2012
Two years after entering the Paris Olympics as the youngest and least experienced member of a star-studded U.S. women’s gymnastics team, Hezly Rivera is no longer waiting in anyone’s shadow.
The 18-year-old Olympic gold medalist rallied from fourth place to capture her second consecutive U.S. women’s all-around championship Sunday, continuing her emergence as one of the leading faces of American gymnastics heading toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Rivera finished the two-day competition with a score of 111.950, more than a point ahead of runner-up Claire Pease.
The victory made Rivera the first American woman other than Simone Biles to win back-to-back national all-around championships since Jordyn Wieber accomplished the feat in 2011 and 2012.
“I am comfortable with it,” Rivera said of becoming a leader in the sport. “And I just love kind of being a leader in a way.”
Rivera Rallies After Early Mistake
Rivera’s second national championship did not come easily.
Still recovering from a hamstring injury suffered at the Pan Am Games in June, Rivera entered Sunday’s final round in fourth place after falling on uneven bars during the opening night of competition.
Even Sunday began with some difficulty. Rivera fought through a brief stall during her uneven bars routine before finishing the set with a small step on her dismount.
Instead of allowing the mistakes to derail her competition, Rivera responded with a graceful balance beam routine that moved her back within striking distance.
“It took a few years to learn that, but I’m at a point now where it’s just like there already,” Rivera said of her ability to recover mentally. “I don’t really have to think about it too much.”
Rivera said she intentionally avoided watching the scoreboard throughout the competition, choosing instead to stay focused between rotations.
By the end of the night, the strategy had paid off.
From Olympic Rookie to Team Leader
Rivera was just 16 when she competed alongside Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the Americans captured team gold.
Rivera has since embraced the responsibility of helping younger gymnasts navigate the same pressure she experienced as an Olympic newcomer.
“I think it’s just really important to give pep talks because when you’re young, you’re still learning a lot,” Rivera said. “So I just think it’s good to get positive vibes.”
Her coach Anna Liukin, who trains Rivera alongside her husband, Valeri Liukin, described the teenager as “motherly” with younger athletes.
Carey, now working toward what could become her third Olympics, said Rivera’s growth has been clear since their time together in Paris.
“I think Hezly did a fantastic job tonight and kind of rebounding from night one and just proving to herself and everybody else that that was just a little fluke and she’s capable of so much,” Carey said. “Back-to-back national champion is something that she should be really proud of.”
Rivera Turns Attention to World Championships
Rivera now hopes to earn a spot on her first world championship team.
She appeared likely to make last year’s team before rolling her ankle during the selection camp, an injury Liukin described as “heartbreaking.”
Provided she remains healthy, Rivera will have another opportunity this fall as the United States prepares for its first major international team competition since the Paris Olympics.
Rivera believes her performance in Phoenix — particularly while competing at less than full strength — showed how much she has developed mentally.
“I think it just shows how strong I am mentally,” Rivera said. “Because physically everything’s there. But the mental aspect of things is definitely where it’s at. You can’t really do this without having a strong mentality.”
Pease finished second, while 16-year-old Charleigh Bullock placed third. Reese Esponda, who trains at the Houston-area gym owned by Biles’ family, finished fourth.
Carey won the vault title and placed fifth overall, while first-day co-leader Skye Blakely dropped to seventh after mistakes during her floor routine.
For Rivera, however, the weekend marked another step in a transformation that began in Paris: from Olympic newcomer to national champion — and increasingly, leader of the next generation of U.S. women’s gymnastics.
