Hezly Rivera did not have a clue what to do after her coach, Maggie Haney, was suspended for emotional abuse on the athletes. Trying to chalk out a solution, Rivera’s family shifted to Texas and the 16-year-old started her training at the WOGA. Under the watchful eyes of Valeri Liukin, Rivera soon found her footing and began growing in stature. Luckily, that dark pall of gloom she was under is behind her, with her eyes set on making the most out of her Paris outing. After a series of heartbreaking injuries plagued the US trials, it was Hezly Rivera who scooped up the opportunity and sealed her ticket to Paris. 

Having attained a difficulty of 6.1 on the bars, Hezly Rivera seems to be the perfect fit for the team. Using her difficulty rating to good effect, Rivera can contribute a score of 14.000 when executed perfectly. And such sudden and unexpected success has caused her fame to skyrocket. Ever since qualifying, the likes of Olivia Dunne and Ariana Grande have constantly congratulated and acknowledged Rivera. Rivera’s recent GRWM routine on IG turned heads as well. How’s her rise to fame looking? From a numbers as well as a digital footprint standpoint, let’s delve into it.

Hezly Rivera expresses her love for R.E.M Beauty, gets featured by Ariana Grande

Rivera’s Instagram followers currently stand at 100k. And this is significantly more than what she had before qualifying for the Paris Olympics. In a recent Reddit post captioned, “Aw she’s becoming a superstar”, a statistical data showed that Rivera’s followers count rose by 89k in the last 30 days! And continuing her ascend to popularity, Rivera is now endorsing big brands too. 

After scoring 111.15 at the trials to clinch the fifth spot, it is now time for Rivera to leave for Paris. But before that, the teenage gymnast made sure that she got decked up and spent time with her family. Sharing a ‘Get Ready With Me’ reel, Hezly Rivera revealed that she will be heading to the church and then grabbing a brunch with her family. And amidst all the talking, Rivera got ready using an array of R.E.M Beauty products. 

For the uninitiated, R.E.M Beauty is a popular cosmetics brand, owned by the famous pop star, Ariana Grande. Rivera started off by using the eye cream and proceeded with the eye shadow palette, mascara, and lipgloss. Much to the teenager’s joy, this collaboration was shared by none other than Ariana Grande herself. However, amidst all the silver lining, there lies a dark cloud. In a recent turn of events, Hezly Rivera got involved in an unwanted controversy with MyKayla Skinner. 

MyKayla Skinner forgets Hezly Rivera’s name, gets criticized

Former Olympian MyKayla Skinner recently opened up a Pandora’s box. Speaking about the current US Olympic gymnastics roster, Skinner minced no words. In a now-deleted YouTube video, Skinner pointed out that barring Simone Biles, everyone else lacked work ethics. She also questioned the work ethics of the athletes while indirectly promoting aggressive coaching tactics. 

At one point in her video, Skinner forgot Hezly Rivera’s name. She also could not pronounce her name properly. This was not well received by Rivera’s family and her sister hit back at the Olympian. Uploading Skinner’s picture with Hezly Rivera’s, Hezly’s sister wrote on her Instagram, “Kind of funny that you didn’t know how to pronounce my sister’s name, especially since she was on national TV…I’m sure you heard the commentators say her name correctly every time… Also, you personally handed Hezly a medal at the Hopes US Classic 2018 in Utah.” However, Hezly Rivera seems to be unfazed by all the outside noise and static hurled at her. Standing on the doorways of her dreams, Hezly is determined to breakthrough and come back from Paris with a golden glory and will this wunderkind successfully do so? Let us know in the comments below.