Hezly Rivera works toward 'unfinished business' in defending U.S. all-around gymnastics title

PHOENIX — Hezly Rivera won Olympic gold at age 16 as the youngest U.S. athlete in Paris across all sports. She won a U.S. all-around title at age 17, the youngest to do so since 2017.

She believes that's just the start of something big.

"I have a lot of unfinished business that I want to complete," Rivera said before she defends her national title at the Xfinity U.S. Championships on Friday and Sunday (live on NBC Sports and Peacock ).

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The outstanding tasks are Olympic related: another team medal, an all-around medal and a few individual apparatus medals.

"I've always wanted to keep going," she said. "Even right after the (2024) Olympics, I was like, 'Well, a little break, and then I'm going to keep going.'"

To that end, Rivera drew a canvas of the LA28 logo and placed it against her Texas bedroom wall, just below a framed picture commemorating her 2025 U.S. all-around title.

She looks at it daily.

"It's always in the back of my mind, but I'm not really thinking about (2028) yet," she said, "because I think it's important to take everything one step at a time and take things piece by piece. I have little goals for myself in between."

Such as competing at a World Championships.

Rivera was denied that opportunity last year, despite being the top gymnast in the country.

She sprained her left ankle a few weeks before a selection competition for the world team.

"Maybe I can try (to compete), but we thought it was best to just let it rest and just fully heal for the next season," Rivera said.

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She came back this year to win the Winter Cup in February en route to graduating online high school (she missed her ceremony due to practice).

At her most recent meet in June, she withdrew during the Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro due to a sore right hamstring.

It was a precautionary move. She feels ready to defend her all-around title on Friday and Sunday and move closer to making the five-woman team for October's worlds in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The team will be named after an early autumn selection competition in Crossville, Tennessee.

The U.S. Championships field includes two-time Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey (competing in her hometown) and Skye Blakely, neither of whom competed in the all-around at nationals in 2025.

Blakely ruptured an Achilles two days before the 2024 Olympic Trials, which opened the door for Rivera to seize a spot on the Olympic team for Paris. Rivera competed strictly in qualifying at her first Games, while veterans Biles, Carey, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles took up all the spots in the Olympic final.

"Obviously, Paris team medal, dream come true. It was amazing, and I'm so grateful to be a part of that team," Rivera said. "Then my all-around medal for (2025 U.S.) Championships is also very dear to me. I worked really hard for that. Especially right after the Olympics, it was a little bit of a struggle coming back at the beginning, but I did pull through. So it kind of just felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. All that hard work paid off again."

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