It was rough, brutal to watch Hezly Rivera at the 2025 US Classics. She struggled early on the uneven bars. Her Tkachev releases were notably low, just barely clearing the bar, and her dismount was poorly timed and misaligned. Rivera fell face-first into the mat and got a score of 11.950. It would have been better had this been the end of it, but destiny had its plans. Her misfortune carried on, and she fell again while performing on the beam, scoring 12.300.

After the meet, she uploaded a post on her Instagram saying, “not the meet i hoped for, but there is more to come 🫶🏽 onto the next! championships 🔜 so blessed 💕 Jeremiah 29:11“. The falls were bound to take a toll on her but she is coming back. Claire Pease, Hezly Rivera, Joscelyn Roberson, & Skye Blakely sat down for a press conference regarding the 2025 Xfinity U.S. Championships, where a journalsit asked Rivera, “Classics obviously was a little bit tough I think for you. You know, what was your conversation with your coaches when you got back to the gym? Did you evaluate classics or did you change anything going forward? You know, what was that conversation like?” Her answer –

“Well, training before classics was going well. So, having a rough classics, I’m kind of glad that I just got it out of the way and getting back into competition and competing under a crowd,” Hezly Rivera confessed in the press conference on August 7th, 2025. Overall, Rivera ended the meet tied for 12th place in the all-around, a disappointing spot for a gymnast of her talent. But you fall, you stand right back up. That’s gymnastics, and that’s what the Olympian is doing.

She further told, “Um, but overall I kind of have just been working on my confidence in the gym because it did kind of feel a little bit shaken after classics, but I think over the past few weeks I have been finding my confidence again and just finding the joy in doing gymnastics.” She was also asked if she was doing something specific to work on that.

To that, she answered, “I think just doing honestly, I feel like doing parts and stuff because it kind of breaks it down in my head, and when I’m going into routines, I’m just feeling more confident knowing that I can hit because doing it separately.” The gymnast also added that putting it all together has been working well for her. Though these are things that she is doing on the apparatus, a lot is going on behind the scenes that she is going to bring to the Xfinity Showdown for the concerned fans.

Hezly Rivera has an exiting update for Xfinity Showdown

Rivera’s falls might have attracted a lot of attention from gymnasts and fans but now the future LSU Tiger is roaring again. In an interview with Inside Gymnastics aired on August 7, she had confessed that, “Feeling really great going into this week. Training has been going great and I’ve just been trying to trust myself. It’s been going really well.” She shared that the training they had yesterday went well, and they are feeling excited about the upcoming podium and seeing how things progress. They also expressed enjoyment of the new floor routine, noting that it has a very different style compared to what was performed last year.

A good thing about her at the US Classics was that Rivera debuted her new floor routine at the 2025 U.S. Classic, held at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. At the event, she scored 13.850. Talking about that, she said, “I really love my floor routine. I think it’s very bubbly and happy and kind of just me because I’m a very happy person.” Though people often see her as serious, she shared, “I’m laughing all the time, having a good time, and I think it goes well with my floor routine. “

She also reflected on her comeback. The gymnast shared that getting back into form was challenging at first, especially after being on and off and out of rhythm. But by returning to the basics, focusing on proper technique, and trusting her coaches, things gradually started to click again. Now, she’s committed to training and seeing where it takes her. Her next goal.

“I think my goal is just to do what I do in the gym, not get ahead of myself, and be very calm, trust myself, not get overwhelmed, and I think the biggest goal for me after championships is to be positive no matter what because obviously there will be ups and downs, but I’m just here for the journey and to see where it takes me, continue working hard in the gym, and World Championships is definitely the goal,” She said in the interview. What are your thoughts about her comeback? How will she perform at the Championships?