Hezly Rivera, a Plano high school student and Olympic gold medalist, balances rigorous training, schoolwork, and public appearances.
The gold-medalist had her life turned upside down in Paris. Now the teen is back in Plano getting ready for the next big thing. She is preparing for final exams, studying algebra and English for her upcoming tests. But unlike many high schoolers, the Olympic gold-medal gymnast is doing so between a rigorous training schedule, public appearances and worldwide travel. Rivera had a whirlwind year.
She spent the summer in Paris, representing the United States at the 2024 Summer Olympics as the youngest member of the gold medal-winning team and the youngest athlete across the entire U.S. delegation.After the Olympics, Rivera traveled the country on the Gold Over America Tour with teammates Simone Biles, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles. In September, she verbally committed to Louisiana State University on a full athletic scholarship. Now back home in Plano, she appeared in the city’s holiday parade last weekend as the city’s “holiday spirit ambassador.” She also threw the first pitch at a Texas Rangers game at Globe Life Field in September and paid a visit to the White House that same month to meet President Joe Biden. TIME Magazine named her to the 2024 Latino Leaders list. The gymnastics prodigy has seen the world in 2024, and isn’t slowing down. She plans to spend Christmas in the Dominican Republic, where her parents are from. It’ll be her first time in the country, she said, and her first time meeting some family members there. But before her trip, she spent time spreading holiday cheer in Plano, her “forever home.”While Rivera was born in New Jersey, she’s named Plano her home base since 2021. She moved to North Texas to“I came here and I was like, this seems so normal,” Rivera said. “People … have the wrong take on Texas,
OLYMPICS GYMNASTICS YOUTH ATHLETE HEZLY RIVERA PLANO TEXAS
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