Hezly Rivera is making her Olympics debut this year in Paris at 16 years old. She competed in Sunday's qualifying rounds in the uneven bars and balance beam, helping Team USA secure its spot in the team finals.
While she didn't participate in Tuesday's competition, she still accepted a gold medal alongside her teammates.
She posted on Instagram after the win, saying in part, "OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST [emojis] couldn't be more thankful and super proud of this team!!"
Olympian from Oradell, N.J.
Hezly Rivera from Team United States competes on the balance beam during day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at the Bercy Arena on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France. Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages
Rivera is from Oradell and practiced at ENA Gymnastics in Paramus.
"Her town is just thrilled. You know, the love and support that has been shown to her from the community is just, it's fantastic," said her former coach, Craig Zappa.
Her former coach remembers she was dedicated from the very beginning.
"If you told her to do 10 of it, she made sure she did 10 of that. And she was just, from the get go, a very self driven gymnast," Zappa said.
With her eighth Olympic medal, she is now the most decorated American Olympic gymnast, passing Shannon Miller, who had seven. This is her fifth gold medal, tying Anton Heida for the most gold earned by a U.S. gymnast.
As for the women's team, it's their third gold medal in the last four Olympics and their fourth gold ever.
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