After Earning Gold Alongside Simone Biles at 16, Hezly Rivera Grabs Another Special Opportunity With Gymnastics GOAT

“She can’t even drive!” Simone Biles spoke about Hezly Rivera ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games. Yet, the 16-year-old Hezly Rivera, who was the youngest athlete at the Olympics ended up with a gold medal. However, the moment was bittersweet for the New Jersey native as she missed out on the women’s gymnastics team final—the first time since 2008 that a Team USA member didn’t compete in the final. But now she has another chance to shine.

As Biles and co. dazzled their way to all-around team gold in Paris, Hezly Rivera faced a tough moment. She couldn’t qualify for any individual events and as such was left out of the team final. Chellsie Memmel, guiding the team, admitted it was a tough call, saying, “It’s going to sting for a while,” but reassured Rivera, “You’re just as important a part of this team as everybody else.” Still, the young gymnast will get the opportunity to share the stage with Biles and her teammates during the Gold Over America Tour!

Rivera was announced for the 2024 tour as a new addition alongside men gymnasts Asher Hong, who won the bronze at Paris Olympic, Shane Wiskus, Yul Moldaue, and Canada’s Ellie Black. Rivera also shared the announcement on her Instagram stories which is an indication that she is looking forward to competing in the showcase.

The 2021 Gold Over America Tour only featured female gymnasts. However, this time the women’s gymnastics team will have company. The Men’s U.S. Gymnastics team broke a 16-year-old medal drought at the Paris Olympics. So the team bronze medalists will also join the women at this edition.

For Rivera, this will be a stage to let everyone know what she is capable of. Of course, everyone saw a glimpse of it during the US Olympic Trials in June. Rivera finished fifth in the all-around, tied for the top score on the beam, placed fourth on uneven bars, and finished eighth on the floor exercise. Given that the field consisted of some of the best gymnasts in the world with the likes of Suni Lee, Biles, and Jordan Chiles, this was an impressive feat. Her performances meant she handed a ticket to Paris.

At the Olympics, Rivera finished with scores of 13.900 in the uneven bars and 12.633 in the balance beam. She finished outside the top eight in both events and as a result, didn’t advance to the individual finals in either. Rivera’s score was also the lowest by any of the American gymnasts in both events. Hence, she wasn’t picked for the team finals.

Despite this, she sounded happy at being part of the team for such a monumental event. “This was just an amazing experience, you know, and just being with the team and supporting them meant the world to me,” she said after Team USA completed their redemption in Paris by winning the gold medal. For now, Rivera can look forward to performing in the Gold Over America Tour commencing on September 17.

The first edition of the tour happened in 2021, after the Tokyo Olympics. Following the incredible bounce back of USA gymnastics from silver in Tokyo to gold in Paris, the tour is set to kick off once again. Simone Biles and Co. will start in Oceanside, California.

Besides the additions names like Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Brody Malone, Frederick Richard, and Paul Juda have already joined the line-up. Even gymnasts who didn’t make it to Paris have joined the tour as special guests. Popular names in national gymnastics such as Joscelyn Roberson, Katelyn Ohashi, and others will join the Olympians on stage. Unfortunately, Sunisa Lee and Team USA’s ‘Clark Kent’, Stephen Nedoroscik are not on the list.

The Gold Over America Tour is a mix of sports and entertainment with gymnasts performing showing their athletic brilliance to send a message of hope, strength, and resilience. The GOAT website describes it as a “high-flying pop concert-style spectacle,” which features the top gymnasts at the top of their game in a non-competitive entertaining environment.

In 2021, the tour was a massive success. Starting on September 21, with 35 shows in 32 cities, selling over 182,000 tickets. The tour grossed  $19.3 million according to Billboard Boxscore. This time around it won’t be a short tour either. Each show will be about 110 minutes long and the Athleta-sponsored tour will visit 30 cities. After the first show in Oceanside, California, the tour will have stops in Phoenix, Arizona followed by visits to Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, Pittsburg, Brooklyn, and other cities before rounding it off in Detriot, Michigan on November 3, at the Little Caesars Arena.

However, the Gold Over America Tour promises more for dedicated fans than just giving them the chance to watch their icons perform live.

Do you want a picture with Simone Biles?

Tickets for the spectacle start at just over $80 and go up to $242. However, those looking for a special experience may opt for one of several tiers of VIP packages. These pricier tickets will include perks such as dedicated a fast track, a separate entrance, and a VIP merchandise shop among others. However, the “Chalk Talk” and “Gold Squad” upgrades will net fans the chance to interact with the featured athletes.

Those who sign up for the experience will attend an exclusive talk session and click a group photo with Simone Biles and Co. The Gold Squad upgrade will also earn fans the opportunity to share the stage with the Olympians. An “epic finale as part of the exclusive on-stage experience,” is how the website describes the perk.

Many gymnastics fans couldn’t make it to Paris to see their favorite athletes snag gold, silver, and bronze. But the Gold Over America Tour is here to bring the excitement home, with stops from Oceanside to Detroit—get ready to cheer for your icons, from 16-year-old Helzy Rivera to the GOAT herself, Simone Biles!