16-year-old Hezly Rivera became Team USA’s youngest gymnast and helped secure gold at the Paris Olympics 2024, despite not competing in the final. This season, she has been sensational, sweeping the all-around title at the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships. Despite an ankle injury knocking her out of the World Championships, she has been keeping herself busy, launching her own line of Leotards by GK on TikTok. Something she fears may be taken down by the social media platform due to being identified wrongly by the app’s algorithm.

On TikTok, the Olympian posted a string of photos highlighting her designer leotards from the Olympics, the Xfinity U.S. Championships, and her training routine. The color combinations were nothing short of stunning, but the highlight was her caption, “Please don’t take this down, it’s just a leo.” TikTok may perceive certain content as inappropriate, which may result in removal of said content from the platform.

Hezly Rivera has become a true fashion charm when it comes to designer leotards. From wearing GK’s leotards as a child to collaborating with them to launch her own line, Rivera has come a long way. Each design was carefully structured under Hezly’s direction, reflecting her preferred styles, silhouettes, and fabrics. According to Team GK, every piece in the collection is athlete-approved and worn by Hezly herself during training and competition. Launching her own line – especially at this age – is something that only stars like Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles have done so far.

Rivera is tough and graceful. At the Olympic Trials in the United States, when Rivera needed a win to make the Olympic team, she came through with a strong performance on the beam, besting Olympic medalists Simone Biles and Suni Lee and tying Joscelyn Roberson for first place. As a result of the successful performance, Rivera earned a place on the Olympic Team, signaling a new direction in her career.

Before stepping onto the apparatus, she ensures every detail is locked in: her gymnastics, her fashion, and her overall look.”I like to do my hair first. Then I move on to makeup, which I love. I do concealer from Hourglass with a Makeup by Mario brush, Saie bronzer, Saie liquid blush and Rare Beauty blush, lip liner from Haus Labs, and then Fenty Beauty setting powder,” she said in her conversation with Elle.

“I set with Charlotte Tilbury setting spray. I also curl my lashes, then do a Saie lip gloss and seal it in with Aquaphor.”

Becoming the youngest American gymnast to compete at the Olympics, Hezly Rivera set a new benchmark for the next generation. But what has she been up to since that breakthrough moment? Here’s a look at her NCAA journey.

What’s Hezly Rivera up to after her Olympic breakthrough

In 2025, while most of her Olympic teammates took time off, Hezly Rivera returned to competition at the 2025 Winter Cup, which happened in February. She limited her outing to the balance beam, upgrading her routine, where she finished twenty-seventh with a score of 12.950. In May, she earned selection to the U.S. team for the 2025 Pan American Championships, joining Dulcy Caylor, Jayla Hang, Gabrielle Hardie, and Tiana Sumanasekera.

She earned the all-around bronze medal, finishing behind teammate Jayla Hang and Canada’s Lia Monica Fontaine. She later contributed to Team USA’s first-place finish in the team event. Hezly Rivera was a fan favourite going into the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta; however, her ankle injury forced her to miss the selection, and thus came the end of her 2025 season.

Speaking to International Gymnastics Media, the gymnast said confidence is what drives her performance, whether at the Olympics or a regional event. “When I feel most confident, I obviously perform the best, but I think (it’s about) just being in the right mindset.”

“I can do all the physical parts, but (I) just train my brain to the right things, especially under a little bit more nerves. I’ve been training with that, and I’ve been feeling way more confident since Classic and more prepared overall.”

Given her strong 2025 campaign and the momentum she built last season, Rivera is poised for another standout year. Time will tell whether she opens 2026 at the Winter Cup again.