The gymnastics community held its breath. On June 12th, just days before the 2025 Pan American Championships, Inside Gym shared a video of her training a vault, run, flip, twist, all executed flawlessly. But the landing? That’s where concern crept in. “It’s definitely not her strong event… I just wish it wasn’t so scary to watch,” one fan commented. Fortunately, things turned out fine at Pan Ams. She helped the U.S. clinch team gold, earned a bronze on beam, and posted a solid 13.800 on vault, though it wasn’t enough for the podium. The real scare, however, came later, at the U.S. Classic…

At the 2025 U.S. Classic on July 19 in Hoffman Estates, Hezly Rivera fell in every sense of that word. She started with a rough crash on her uneven bars dismount, hitting the mat hard and walking away with a low 11.950. On beam, things didn’t get better either. She fell during her two-footed layout series and was deep in the knees on her double pike dismount. Vault wasn’t a disaster, but it was far from clean. It was a double-twisting Yurchenko that looked under-rotated. The landing was in a deep squat, chest down, with a visible strain on her ankles. Floor was good with a score of 13.850. She stood 12th in All-Around with a score of 51.500. Two days have passed since, and Hezly has decided to speak up.

The 2023 Junior National Champion took to her Instagram on July 21, 2025, to share a message after the devastating performance in the US Classic. Posting a series of her shots mid-routine, she captioned, “not the meet i hoped for, but there is more to come 🫶🏽 onto the next! championships 🔜 so blessed 💕 Jeremiah 29:11“. The Bible verse she quoted says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” It serves as a powerful reminder to herself and her supporters that even in a disappointing performance, with falls and harsh landings, the bigger plan is far from over.

The 2025 U.S. Gymnastics National Championships are set for August 7–10 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and that will be her next target. As a member of the 2024 Olympic team, Rivera has automatically qualified for Nationals. Hezly Rivera was part of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team in Paris, and she earned a gold medal in the women’s team final alongside the likes of Simone Biles and Co. Her post had brought together a lot of gymnasts in her support. Fans have been saying to her, “Stay strong Hezly the Lord is by your side always 💗💗.

When the Olympic gold medalist stumbled at the Classic, the concerns were high. One fan had said, “The timing was all kinda off on that dismount I audibly yelped that coulda been so bad whew.” But the Olympian is not someone who gives up. Seeing her coming out of the nightmare of the classic and making a post about moving forward is refreshing to see, and it’s not going to be that hard for her with the biggest name in sports having her back.

Olivia Dunne, Jade Carey, and Co. show support to Hezly Rivera

It did not matter if they were active gymnasts or not. It did not matter if they were ever teammates with Rivera or not; the gymnasts saw one of their fellows having a tough time, and they all flooded to make sure she remained afloat. Olivia Dunne wrote, “Bounce back baby! Love u hez💜✨“. The former gymnast had known the Olympian from the days she started to swing. They had the same coaches and trained together at the ENA Gymnastics in Paramus, New Jersey.

Dunne joined around 2007, and Rivera joined in 2013 at age five. Seeing her former training mate lie down defeated on the mat is not on the cards for the 2024 NCAA champion; she wants her to rise. Jade Carey is once again by her side, dropping a comment that read, “you are a star hez!! don’t forget it 🌟💜.” Earlier, when the 2x Jr. world silver medalist expressed joy over her selection for Pan Ams, Jade Carey was the one commenting, “go hez!!”. Fans have also had her back.

“Last year you were 24th at classics and look what you accomplished; use this as fire, you got it 🔥,” one said. In the 2024 U.S. Classic, Hezly Rivera placed 24th in the Senior all-around with a total score of 50.350 compared to 12th with a total of 51.500 in 2025. She has improved her performance by 50 percent. Another fan commented, “Remember to have fun. You will fix all those balances, checks, and powers when tumbling. You got this, and the season is far from over.” The Olympic gold medalist has indeed got this. What do you think? How will she bounce back at U.S. Gymnastics National Championships? Share your thoughts.