At just 16, Harley Riviera, the American gymnast, is basking in glory after a successful run at the Paris Olympics. For the youngest member of the Team USA­ delegation that participated in Paris, the journey to glory began with a statement of disbelief, “I can’t believe I’m part of this team; I never would have thought this would happen.” But now, the budding gymnast who has shared the floor with gymnastics legends Simone Biles and Suni Lee has shown the world her talents. At the summer events, she played a crucial role in pushing her team to the final, which culminated in a gold.

But now that the Paris Olympics are in the rearview, Hezley Rivera is looking at what’s ahead in her journey to becoming a gymnastics great. With an upcoming NCAA season, her first step is college, and she has already teased her possible move with fans. On Instagram, she captioned, “Guess where I’m going for my first official college visit!” She visited the University of Florida as her first stop at college, and fans are buzzing with anticipation if she has settled for the Gators.

Hezly Rivera Spent an Eventful Day At the University of Florida With Lianne Wong

Hezly Rivera documented her visit to the University of Florida, and it appears that the lush green fields of campus have offered an excellent time to the rising gymnast. She met with Tim Tebow, the legendary Gators quarterback, and spent time on the field watching Gators vs Miami Hurricanes. Not only that, Rivera also spent time with the Gators’ gymnastics team head coach Jenny Rowland and assistant coach Owen Field, which further fueled the fire that the young Olympian was going to be a Gator.

But her chemistry with Lianne Wong, another rising gymnast and a 2x world champion in team events, piqued the fans’ anticipation that Florida is indeed the college stop for the budding gymnast. Lianne Wong shared an Instagram story; captioning, had so much fun hosting you and your family, hezz, alongside pics of Hezly Rivera enjoying on the field and having fun with Wong and Jocelyn Sasson, another proud gator and a rising gymnast. Is he heading to Florida, then? We will know in time, but take a step back and understand why she is the hot favorite amongst colleges across America. Well, the answer lies in her meteoric rise!

The Making of Hezly Rivera and Her Journey to Olympic Stardom

Hezly Rivera’s journey in gymnastics began from a surprising place – it was a birthday party that marked the beginning of an eventful journey for Hezly Rivera. The place was a gymnastics gym, and the staff noticed that Hezly indeed possessed extraordinary gymnastics talent. She was five then, and that was her first stint in the sport, which brought her an Olympic gold medal. Fast forward eleven years and Hezly has bloomed into an ace gymnast training under Valeri and Anna Liukin, the same duo who trained the 2008 all-around champion Nastia Liukin at WOGA gymnastics. 

The Junior World Championships in 2023 first witnessed her extraordinary talent. Rivera aced the team and floor exercise, displaying excessive skills and claiming bronze in each event. But the 2024 Olympics trials are where Hezly Rivera truly unleashed her talent. Her solid fourth finish on uneven bars and the fifth spot in the all-around secured her a seat in the gymnastics contingent headed for Paris, including the legendary Simone Biles. Rivera is just 16, and the future of the budding gymnast already looks bright. And now, with gold in her portfolio, many colleges are eyeing for her to join their program.