Who Is Hezly Rivera? What School Does She Go To? All About the Olympic Gold Medalist

Hezly Rivera is one of the shining stars of the US women’s gymnastics team. The 16-year-old was right there at the podium as part of the Golden Girls when they claimed the gold medal. Since then, her skill and talent have been anything but undeniable. How else can you make a team that has the likes of Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey, and perhaps the GOAT, Simone Biles?

It’s not a fluke either. She secured fifth at the US trials with a score of 111.150 (54.825, 56.325). These names have survived the bagful of years in the battle of gymnastics. Yet that couldn’t deter Hezly Rivera from chasing her dreams. And she fulfilled it, clinching gold in the balance beam and silver in the all-around at the U.S. Classic.

Now, she has her eyes on the LA 2028 Olympics. Let’s dive into detail about the young prodigy.

Where was Hezly Rivera born?

Hezly Rivera was born on June 4, 2008, in Oradell, New Jersey. But grew up in Hackensack. Her gymnastics journey started in the most unexpected way—at a friend’s birthday party! She was just five when her talent stood out, and from there, she never looked back. In 2021, her family moved to Texas so she could train at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy. At just 16, she became the youngest member of Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics!

Presently, Hezly Rivera lives in Plano with her family, leaving her native place, New Jersey, behind. The reason is to get trained in WOGA, under the tutelage of Valeri and Anna Liukin. The duo coaches the 2012 Olympics all-around champion, Gabby Douglas. Apart from that, they are the parents of five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin.

Which school does Hezly Rivera attend?

Heidi Ruiz and Henry Rivera are the parents of Hezly Rivera. Both of them are Dominican Republic natives, and Henry is currently employed as an engineer. Rivera’s parents are his staunchest supporters and admirers. Hezly Rivera attends Connection Academy, a school located in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States. Hezly Rivera’s school is a virtual high school program.

She is expected to graduate in 2026. Why virtual school? She can follow her training and competition schedule because it is an online high school curriculum. The virtual program allows Rivera to train flexibly, and she can attend classes online while still training for gymnastics.

What is Hezly Rivera’s height?

Hezly Rivera stands at 5 feet, 1 inch tall. Her height, while average for a gymnast, complements her powerful performances, especially on vault and floor exercises. Despite her stature, Rivera’s dynamic routines have made her a standout athlete. Her journey from a birthday party discovery to Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games exemplifies how determination and talent can shine regardless of physical attributes.

What is Hezly Rivera’s ethnicity?

The ethnic background of Hezly Rivera is Dominican-American. The Dominican Republic’s Santo Domingo is where her father, Henry Rivera, was born. In his own country, he worked as a professional engineer. Hezly Rivera’s father, who later immigrated to the US, gave him the Dominican-American heritage. However, nothing about Heidy Ruiz, the mother of Hezly Rivera, can be found online. Hanly Rivera and Carhelis Abreu are Hezly Rivera’s siblings.

Hezly Rivera records and results?

The Hezly family decided on her choice to go with the sport when Hezly was just 8 years old. Now, she has been training under the legendary duo for almost the last 18 months and has felt fortunate enough to share the mat with the monuments in the training session. From that perspective, she once said, “It’s amazing because I know I can definitely make it with all these people around me… I never would have thought I would be training with Nastia’s parents and especially with Gabby! It’s crazy because she gives me so many tips and such encouragement.”

Hezly Rivera’s success story started at the 2022 Winter Cup, where she secured her first bronze in All-Around. But this was just a marker for what was to come. She followed her winter success into spring and summer by winning a gold and silver at the US Classic while winning yet another bronze in the US National Championships. At just 14, she was already showing signs of success.

But it was in 2023 that she really started her climb as one of the premier talents of the country. She played a pivotal role in securing a silver medal for Team USA at the Junior World Championships in Antalya, Turkey, and individually clinched silver on floor exercise. In the same category, Hezly Rivera did even better in the Winter Cup that year. She clinched three golds in all-around, balance beam, and floor exercise, respectively.

However, all the hardware from the junior level motivated the New Jersey native to accept the challenge of senior levels. The results remained stunning. In the 2024 Winter Cup, Hezly took up the third all-around position in the senior women’s category. Do you want to know which were the top two names? Kayla DiCello and Skye Blakley. But that didn’t stop her from winning gold on the balance beams for herself. Not to mention another bronze in the floor exercise. But her biggest was yet to come.

Unfortunately, they have missed the 2024 Olympic trials because of their injury. Her momentum continued even after that, as she contributed to the team’s gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games. Although she did not compete in the team final, her participation in the qualifying rounds was instrumental in the team’s overall success.

Rivera’s domestic achievements are equally noteworthy. At the 2024 U.S. Championships, she delivered strong performances across all apparatus, with personal bests including a 13.750 on vault and a 13.650 on balance beam, culminating in an all-around score of 52.000. These consistent results not only highlight her versatility and dedication but also position her as a promising talent in the gymnastics community.