People seldom start a professional career in their teens. And then there is Hezly Rivera. At just 16 years of age, Rivera is going to the Paris Olympics. Finishing fifth in the recently concluded Olympic trials, she will aim to complete her arc with a medal. Unfortunately, such a vibrant performance has been met with significant negativity.

Retired gymnast MyKayla Skinner recently went on a rant that infuriated the entire gymnastics community. Skinner took shots at Hezly Rivera while forgetting her name on the video. While it was not a great moment for Rivera, words from another US gymnastics legend might uplift her mood.

Shawn Johnson thinks Hezly Rivera is a star in the making

Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson recently sat down in an interview with Yahoo Sports. During their conversation, Johnson was asked to reflect on the team of gymnasts that will represent the country in Paris, to which she immediately responded in a warm manner expressing her excitement regarding the team. But the one athlete Johnson took extra interest in was Hezly Rivera.

“Then you have the newcomer Hezly Rivera who is 16 years old, the cutest thing I’ve ever seen she is Rock Solid she’s a competitor across all the major or all four events I would say’s going to be the breakout star,” Johnson stated.

The 32-year-old mentioned that having previous Olympians like Simone Biles, Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles alongside her will do Rivera a world of good. She will be able to garner invaluable advice from her seniors and they would also want their young peers to shine bright.

Meanwhile, the rage concerning MyKayla Skinner does not seem to go away. And Hezly Rivera’s sister is the latest to lash out. 

Rivera’s sister hits back at MyKayla Skinner

Skinner’s recent video stunned the internet. Speaking about the recent roster, the 27-year-old stated that the gymnasts lacked depth. She also shockingly advocated for coaches taking an aggressive approach to get the best out of an athlete. Such statements received opposition from Simone Biles and the mother of Jordan Chiles. 

Rivera’s sister also posted a picture of Skinner and Hezly from the Hopes Classics 2018 on her Instagram story. She then wrote, “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.”

With tensions escalating, all eyes will now be on Hezly Rivera to see how well she performs under pressure.