After missing the 2025 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships because of an ankle injury, Hezly Rivera entered 2026 determined to finally reach the world’s biggest stage. However, her road to Rotterdam was derailed again when she aggravated a hamstring during the Pan American Championships -a key Worlds qualifier. Now healthy again, the defending champion returns to the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships with another chance to keep her World Championships dream alive.

On August 6, Rivera took to the podium for a training session at the Mortgage Matchup Center in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, ahead of the start of competition. The Olympic gold medalist and member of the USA’s Golden Girls team from Paris 2024 looked sharp during the session. Gymnastics Now shared a video on X showing Rivera confidently working through her floor exercise tumbling passes, appearing comfortable in her first public session since recovering from the injury.

The timing could not be more important.

The Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships serve as a major selection event for the U.S. team that will compete at the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. For Rivera, it is her best/last chance to secure a place on the senior World Championships team after missing last year’s event through injury.

Rivera also arrives in Phoenix with the added pressure of defending the national title she won in 2025. Last year, she delivered two consistent all-around performances to finish with a combined score of 112.000, defeating Leanne Wong by 0.8 points to capture her first senior U.S. all-around crown.

Interestingly, the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships is her first competition since withdrawing from the Pan American Championships in June, where she aggravated a sore hamstring during the vault rotation and withdrew from the remainder of the meet. The injury also forced her to skip the U.S. Classic in July, allowing her additional time to recover before nationals.

Speaking during media day ahead of the championships, Rivera explained why she chose patience over pushing through the injury. “I thought it was best to just pull back a little bit and rest up for the second part of the season, trying to be healthy for this part of the season.” Those additional weeks seem to have been worth it, as Rivera is now ready to return to competition at full strength.

While Rivera’s return is a major boost for her title defense, one of her biggest rivals will not be in the field.

Jade Carey becomes Hezly Rivera’s main rival

Leanne Wong, who was runner-up in the 2025 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships, has pulled out of this year’s competition due to a hyperextended knee during podium training on August 4. Sharing the news on Instagram, Wong wrote:

“This isn’t how I wanted this week to go, but I trust that God’s plan is greater than my own. I’m grateful for a strong week of training leading up to this competition. Unfortunately, I hyperextended my knee during yesterday’s podium training and will need to rest and recover.” The injury forced Wong to pull out before the competition even began.

It came after she had already been managing a wrist injury that limited her to the balance beam at the U.S. Classic in July. The setback also puts her hopes of making the 2026 World Championships team in serious doubt, unless she is granted a successful petition. While Wong’s absence removes one of Rivera’s toughest challengers but the defending champion still faces a big test from Jade Carey.

The Olympic gold medalist returns to the elite circuit after missing the 2025 season. Competing in front of home fans in Phoenix, Carey has a lot of experience and is still one of the most formidable athletes in the game. Like Rivera, she is aiming to earn a place on the U.S. team for the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, making this week’s battle for the national title even more important.