Hezly Rivera won her second-straight U.S. National title on Sunday in Phoenix, edging out club teammate Claire Pease and rising star Charleigh Bullock in a come-from-behind stunner. With her win, the 18-year-old adds her name to a list of iconic athletes in USA Gymnastics history.
Simone Biles, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin – all Olympic champions who won back-to-back U.S. all-around titles. In 2026, it’s time to add the kid from North Jersey. The historical implications of Rivera’s win weren’t just impressive – it was how she did it under high heat.
On Friday’s first night of competition in Phoenix, Rivera made an uncharacteristic mistake on the uneven bars, falling from the apparatus and scoring almost two points below her typical output. For a moment, it seemed that that defending champion’s title repeat dreams were out of reach.
Instead of crumbling in defeat, Rivera roared back with defiance. In the next routine following her mistake, she posted the highest beam score of the competition (14.300), salvaging a fourth-place finish after night one.
At seven tenths behind first place, her situation wasn’t ideal. For a lesser athlete, it would have been unsurmountable.
But for Hezly Rivera, seven tenths was workable.
“Let’s get it day 2 😼💜” Rivera wrote after Friday’s competition.
On Sunday, she got it. Starting on the event where she had her mistake, Rivera fought through a gutsy bars routine, landing cleanly to a vastly improved score. After one rotation, she had already climbed to second place.
Silver was good, but it wasn’t gold. Still a full-point back of her teammate Claire Pease, she had ground to make up. On beam, she tumbled and leapt to a new season high (14.400) and the U.S. balance beam title. She also erased half of her deficit. Safe to say – she was back on track.
In the third rotation, Rivera delivered arguably the strongest floor routine of her young career, earning a huge 14.300 from the judges for the third highest score of competition. With just vault to go, her Yurchenko double full was icing on the cake. Though Rivera simply needed to land her vault to win the competition – she did one better: she nearly stuck it.
After trailing by seven tenths entering the competition, Rivera won her second national title by more than a full-point: a touchdown, a grand slam. Her status now re-cemented as the best gymnast in the United States, Rivera’s rise has been unlike any we’ve ever seen.
From Paris Beginnings to Rising in Phoenix
Since joining the star-studded 2024 Olympic team as the unlikely rookie outlier, Rivera has taken ownership of her gymnastics and of U.S. gymnastics. Then the youngest member of Team USA, Rivera was not selected to contribute counting performances in the 2024 Olympic team final.
Since winning gold alongside Biles, Lee, Chiles and Carey, she has made every routine – every moment – count. With confidence, resilience, and elegance, she has established herself as the undeniable leader of the 2026 U.S. team. When faced with adversity, she keeps moving forward (and often sticks the landing).
Though injuries have plagued Rivera goals as of late – including one that kept her off the 2025 World Championship team, it feels like only a matter of time before Rivera’s U.S. dominance takes on an international stage.
Perhaps, that moment will finally come this October in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
At the 2026 World Championships, Rivera could finally get her moment to shine. While she withdrew from contention to the 2025 World Championships due to injury, recent pacing adjustments from her coaching staff – including a decision to skip July’s U.S. Classic – point to a readjusted approach to competition preparations.
With World team selection camp over a month away, there’s time to breathe, train, and prepare. For now, one thing is clear: Hezly Rivera is the real deal.