How 16-year-old Jersey girl Hezly Rivera beat Simone Biles on the beam to become Team USA’s youngest gymnast
How 16-year-old Jersey girl Hezly Rivera beat Simone Biles on the beam to become Team USA’s youngest gymnast This Garden State gal is going for the gold. Hezly Rivera, a teen from Oradell, New Jersey, unexpectedly secured a spot on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team last month after finishing fifth all-around at the Olympic Trials in Minnesota. Rivera just turned 16, making her the youngest member of a team full of Olympic veterans in their 20s — including four-time gold medalist Simone Biles, 27, and 2021 All Around gold medalist Sunisa Lee, Hezly was hardly a favorite but she seized the moment when fellow young hopefuls Skye Blakely, 19, and Kayla DiCello, 20, suffered injuries. Her impressive performance included earning 27.975 point across two balance beam routines — besting both Biles and Lee on the apparatus and tying for the top score with Joscelyn Roberson.
