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After what could be her last event at the Paris Olympics, Hezly Rivera sent some love to her parents.
The 16-year-old gymnast — the youngest of 592 athletes representing the United States at the Paris Olympics — failed to qualify for an individual event in Sunday’s preliminary round and was not part of the lineup for the team all-around.
After the decision was announced, Rivera took to her Instagram Stories to share an image of her parents watching from the crowd while she competed. The 16-year-old added a two-word message for her biggest supporters — “Blessing Family.”
Hezly Rivera’s Parents Capture Viral Interest
Rivera’s parents, Henry Rivera and Heidy Ruiz, have gained a reputation for their enthusiastic support of the teenage gymnast. Her father’s tearful celebration when Hezly Rivera earned a spot on Team USA went viral, and her parents were shown again during broadcasts of the Paris Olympics.
After the July 28 qualifying round, Henry Rivera told NBC that they were so proud of all she had accomplished so far, even if she wasn’t competing again.
“We couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “Making the team is the main thing but being the youngest out of all the athletes, that’s something that you can’t take that away from her, ever.”
Hezly Rivera has appreciated the support. She told reporters that her father has been a big help in offering motivation.
“He is my hero, my rock,” she said after the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials, via People magazine. “He always pushes me to be my best, but he’s also comforting when things get rough.”
Henry Rivera helped his daughter start her gymnastics career at 5 years old, telling The New York Post that a coach noticed her natural talent during a birthday party at a gymnastics gym and encouraged her to take up the sport.
“The coaches approached us,” Henry Rivera. “They said, ‘You got to bring her in.’ She made the team on the first audition. That’s very unusual.”
It didn’t take long for his daughter’s natural passion to emerge, he said.
“All she ever wanted to do was be in the gym,” Rivera said.
Paris Olympics Journey Could Reach an End
As NBC Sports Chicago noted, Rivera’s scores in Sunday’s qualifying round were not enough to earn a spot over her teammates in any of the events.
“Both Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles will instead compete in all four disciplines, according to USA Gymnastics. Suni Lee will compete in the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise, while Jade Carey will compete in the vault portion of the program,” the report noted.
“Rivera only competed in two apparatuses in Sunday’s preliminary round, scoring a 12.633 on the balance beam and a 13.9 on the uneven bars.”
Rivera’s fate may have come down to the health of Biles, her gold medalist teammate. Biles suffered a calf injury during the preliminary round, but it was not enough to keep her out of the team all-around final and Team USA announced she will be competing in all four events.
Chellsie Memmel, the Team USA technical lead, shared some praise for Biles’ ability to overcome adversity.
“Incredible,” Memmel said, via Yahoo Sports. “She is an outstanding gymnast and person and what she is able to do [when] she had some soreness or something in her lower leg is remarkable.”
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