“I never would have thought this would happen.” A 16-year-old U.S. Gymnastics member said this a year ago after she walked into America’s Paris Olympics squad as a mere high school junior. That made her the youngest to represent Team USA in Paris—and an Olympic champion at just 16. Now, at 17, she’s earned another major honor. Looks like she is on a mission to rewrite history and become the youngest to win it all! Because this time, the spotlight is no longer on Simone Biles & Co. No longer shared– it’s solely on her!

Well, it’s none other than the teenage sensation– Hezly Rivera. By 2023, she was just a U.S. junior champion. But 2024 proved to be a turning point in her life after she finished fifth all-around at the U.S. Olympic trials. Months later, she was posing with Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey, and Jordan Chiles on the Paris podium. That’s when the dream that 8-year-old Hezly had lived came true. But now, she’s achieved an honor that’s placed her a cut above these Paris veterans…

On July 7, GK Elite, the official apparel sponsor for Team USA gymnastics, announced that exactly one year after her Paris Olympics 2024 heroics, Hezly Rivera is now being named an official Signature Athlete for the brand. She now joins Simone Biles, Jade Carey, and Jordan Chiles, who have continued to be signature athletes for GK Elite for a few years. But none of them were likely selected for this honor at an early age like Rivera, which makes her possibly the youngest to receive this honor! And her reaction just says it all!

Celebrating her recent success, Hezly Rivera added another post on Instagram. Her words reflected how much this honor meant to her, “From wearing GK as a little girl… to now having my own signature line. This isn’t just about leo’s. It’s about the little girl who wore GK to practice with dreams so big they felt impossible.” Well, Hezly was just a little girl who attended a birthday party in a gym, where her parents got a suggestion to make her try the sport. And well, look how it opened the doorway to success for her!

Rivera now feels that this opportunity can serve as an inspiration for all those girls who dare to dream big. “This is for all the young girls who have big dreams. It might seem impossible, but i’m here to tell you it’s not. Your worth isn’t measured by what others expect. It’s defined by what you believe is possible,” she wrote in her post. Well, 2025 is clearly turning out to be a good one for her. Last month, she led the U.S. contingent to the Pan American Championships 2025 and ended up getting an all-around third with 52.667 on the board. And now, this.

Clearly, she is turning out to be a favorite, having achieved what none from Simone Biles & Co perhaps could at 17!

Simone Biles’ Paris teammate Hezly Rivera gets congratulated

Fans and well-wishers poured in their best wishes for Hezly Rivera on her posts. But a few of those have stood out. Foremost, there’s Jade Carey, who was an integral part of the Simone Biles-led gymnastics team in Paris. She commented on both Hely Rivera’s posts, saying, “yayay!!” and “so proud of you 🥹❤️.” 

The two, Rivera and Carey, share quite a close equation. Hezly goes to Carey for learning how to balance both elite and collegiate gymnastics. Whereas, Carey always does her best to boost the young teen. When Rivera got selected to represent Team USA at the 2025 Pan Am Champs, Carey cheered for her with a “Go hez!” comment.

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But there’s more. Even former LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne cheered for Hezly Rivera’s GK Elite honor. She wrote, “So proud of you Hez👏❤️” in the comment section. This is a must-watch dynamic as Rivera is a 2026 LSU commit already, while Olivia Dunne is one of her close friends. But for now, she is putting her faith behind Rivera! What do you think of Rivera’s latest feat? Let us know below!