2 days Ago
MINNEAPOLIS — The youngest member of Team USA, Hezly Rivera , is a hometown hero. Rivera, who lives and trains in Plano, was named the fifth member of the U.S.
women's gymnastics team alongside Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey - all of which have experience competing on the national stage. Rivera, 16, trains at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy, WOGA, in Plano. The gym was founded by Olympic Champion Valeri Liukin, father of 2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin, and World Sports Acrobatic Champion, Yevgeny Marchenko.
The Frisco and Plano-based gym is known for producing gold medalists Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, and Madison Kocian. Rivera, a native of New Jersey, has previously won the all-around title in the junior division at the 2023 U.S.
Championships. She also finished sixth place in her first senior-level championship. Her strongest events are on uneven bars and balance beam.
Simone Biles, who was forced to leave the Olympic games in Japan three years ago after dealing with the twisties, said this trip to Paris is a "redemption tour," according to the Associated Press. “I feel like we all have more to give,” Biles said. “I wake up every day and choose to grind in the gym and come out here and perform for myself.
Just to remind myself that I can still do it.” Biles married Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens in the spring of 2023 and the two are building a house in the northern Houston suburbs they hope to move into shortly after Biles.
