Hezly Rivera has a grueling schedule with six hours of training a day and hours of school in between. For the chance to make Team USA, the Plano resident said she is willing to do anything.
Her family feels the same, moving from New Jersey just so that she could train at one of the best gyms in the country, WOGA Plano, in hopes of going to the Olympics. She started in the sport when she was just five, but it was at age eight that she said her family realized she really had something special.
Rivera is now 16 years old, but when we talked to her initially, she was just 15, but wise beyond her years.
"I know that anything is possible, so if I keep working hard in the gym, I know that I can achieve anything. My family made the commitment to come here and moved here just so that I could train," Rivera said.
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A big part of River's family's decision was the famous coaching duo Valeri and Anna Liukin.
Valeri co-owns World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Plano. It's the home of three Olympic champions. One of them, is the Liukin's daughter, five-time Olympic medalist, Nastia Liukin.
"I have this opportunity to do this in an amazing gym. Pushing my limits is what I am doing every day, no matter how good or how bad the day is, I'm always pushing effort with my skills," Rivera said.
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It's not lost on her the sacrifices her family has made, even outside of moving to Texas for her career.
"They are my number one support system and always supporting me in life and in school. They are always there for everything and I couldn't be more grateful," Rivera said.
She won her first senior division gold at the 2024 Winter Cup on beam and at that same competition, she won bronze on the floor exercise and all-around. While she has accomplished so much, she said obviously, it's the Olympics that is the ultimate honor.
Rivera also said she understands that the mental aspect of her sport is just as important as the physical.
"You have all this weight on your shoulders and all of this stress. So I like to let it go because that was in the past and now we want to move forward. That's just how I look at it even when something doesn't go right."
Just three years ago, she was in her parent's living room watching the Tokyo Olympics as a fan, knowing that's where she wanted to be. Her chance at that came sooner than she ever thought.
"It's crazy to me. It came so fast. I feel like it was yesterday just watching it and now the opportunity to make the team is just amazing," Rivera said.
U.S. Gymnastics Olympic trials are June 27-30. Followed in just a few weeks by the Paris Olympics which starts on July 26 with the Opening Ceremony.
You can watch more North Texas Hometown Hopeful stories and our complete Paris Olympics coverage on our website.
