the sixth American woman since 2000 to pair Olympic gold with a national all-around title (Simone Biles, Wieber, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Carly Patterson) Rivera, the 2023 U.S. junior all-around champ, opened the 2024 Olympic selection season by placing 24th at the U.S. Classic (about a week after her grandmother died).

Hezly Rivera was the fresh face a year ago. The newcomer. The teenager on a team of 20-something Olympic gymnasts, doing her best to absorb what she could from Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles.

NEW ORLEANS — Hezly Rivera met the moment. The 17-year-old Olympic gold medalist pulled away for a victory at the U.S. gymnastics championships on Sunday, looking more than ready to be the standard-bearer for the women’s program in the early stages of the run-up to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.