Coco Gauff, Olivia Dunne, and others react to Hezly Rivera earning a spot on the national team by dominating U.S. Gymnastics Championships

L to R: Olivia Dunne, Coco Gauff and Hezly Rivera. (Images by Getty)
L to R: Olivia Dunne, Coco Gauff and Hezly Rivera. (Images by Getty)

Coco Gauff, Olivia Dunne, Nastia Liukin, and others reacted to Hezly Rivera earning a spot in the USA Women's World Championships team. She achieved this feat with her dominating performances at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

Ad

Rivera topped the women's all-around event with 112 points, securing the lead with a needle-thin gap over Leanne Wong, who posted 111.2 points. The Olympic champion also topped the balance beam and floor event with 28.35 and 28.2 points, respectively. Following her breakthrough victory, Rivera expressed her joy and gratitude on social media, writing:

"National champion 🥲💙 James 1:4 & Psalm 23:5, glory to God. Thank you to my coaches, friends, and family for all of the endless support. I couldn’t have done it without you! not finished yet ✨"
Ad
Ad

American tennis ace Coco Gauff extended her warm wishes to the gymnast and wrote:

"Congratulations ❤️❤️"

Rivera's fellow Paris Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey also penned an emotional message, expressing:

"Brb cryinggg. so proud of you ❤️ "

The uneven bars winner, Skye Blakely, expressed her pride in her teammate:

"So proud of you hez!!🤩🤩 - Skye Blakely"
Screenshot of the Instagram post's comment section (@hezrivera).
Screenshot of the Instagram post's comment section (@hezrivera).

Winter Cup medalist Simone Rose wrote:

Ad
"So proud of you hez!! love you❤️"

Aleah Finnegan and multiple-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin also expressed their pride in Rivera:

"You are amazing!! So proud of you," Finnegan chimed in.
"BEYOND PROUD 🥹🥲," Liukin wrote.

US Classic winner Claire Pease stated:

"So so proud of u hez!"

Former gymnast and social media star Olivia Dunne expressed:

"YAY HEZ!"
Screenshot of the Instagram post's comment section (@hezrivera).
Screenshot of the Instagram post's comment section (@hezrivera).

Hezly Rivera won a gold medal in the team event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Ad

Hezly Rivera opens up on dominating the U.S. Gymnastics Championships after the US Classic heartbreak

Hezly Rivera during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo via Getty Images)
Hezly Rivera during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo via Getty Images)

Hezly Rivera competed at the US Classic, held on July 18 and 19, ahead of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. She executed an underwhelming performance, with 51.500 points. In an interview with Olympics.com, Rivera opened up on her mental approach, stating that she trusts that her hard work will pay off if a competition doesn't go well.

Ad
“Even the rough competitions, you think you may be so prepared and sometimes it doesn’t show up right away how you want it to,” Rivera said. “But I always believed that this is a journey and it’s a process, a stepping stone.
“So, no matter how rough the competition is,” she continued, “I still can get back into the gym and work hard because all those months previously that I’ve been working hard, I know it’s going to show up eventually. [That belief] kind of just took a weight off my shoulders.”

Hezly Rivera will compete at the 2025 World Championships, scheduled for October in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Quick Links

Edited by Samya Majumdar
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications