Hezly Rivera is an American artistic gymnast who emerged as one of the most promising young athletes in the country. Born June 4, 2008, she will be the youngest member of Team USA at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Rivera helped the United States win Olympic team gold and went on to become a top senior gymnast. She won her second straight U.S. senior all-around title in August 2026, further solidifying her status ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
| Net Worth: | $500K |
|---|---|
| Real Name: | Hezly Esther Rivera |
| Birth Date: | June 4, 2008 |
| Age (as of 2026): | 18 Years |
| Birth Place: | Hackensack, New Jersey, USA |
| Height: | 1.51 m (4 ft 11 in) |
| Parents: | Heidy Ruiz & Henry Rivera |
| Boyfriend: | – |
Early Life
Hezly Rivera was born on 4th June, 2008, in Hackensack, NJ. She was raised in nearby Oradell with her two siblings and parents. She was introduced to gymnastics by surprise when she went to a gymnastics facility for a friend’s birthday celebration at the age of five.
Coaches saw a spark in her and told her parents to get into the sport. Rivera began training in 2013 and demonstrated early on a solid devotion to gymnastics. Rivera began training at Eastern National Academy of Gymnastics in Paramus, N.J.
She later trained with Maggie Haney before relocating to Texas with her family. The transfer let her practice with Valeri Liukin and Anna Liukin at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy. She presently represents WOGA and trains in Plano, TX.
Family & Education
Rivera’s parents are Heidy Ruiz and Henry Rivera, who have roots in the Dominican Republic. Her father is a computer engineer who has been one of her biggest champions throughout her career. Rivera has an older sister named Carhelis Abreu and a younger brother named Hanly Rivera.
Her family moved from New Jersey to Texas to support her in professional gymnastics. Rivera has always talked fondly about her father’s impact. He told her to imitate the work ethic of basketball great Kobe Bryant and offered her Bryant’s book, “The Mamba Mentality.” Rivera’s pursuit of an Olympic spot as a 16-year-old shed light on the need for family support.
Hezly Rivera was home-schooled through Connection Academy, which allowed her to juggle schoolwork with a heavy gymnastics training load. Her high school graduation year is listed as 2026 by USA Gymnastics. In September 2024, Hezly Rivera signed with Louisiana State University on a full athletic scholarship.
Rivera chose to put her LSU plans on hold for two years in 2026 to chase another Olympic run. College Gym News said she will be part of the LSU program with the 2028 recruiting class. She has her eyes set on competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics before she starts her university career.
Career
Hezly Rivera was a junior elite in 2022 and placed third all-around at that year’s Winter Cup. She was the 2023 U.S. junior all-around champion. She also took team and floor silver at the 2023 Junior World Championships. Her big break came in 2024. Rivera was fifth in the all-around in the U.S. Olympic Trials and tied for first on the balance beam.
She was chosen by USA Gymnastics for the Paris Olympic team along with Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey. Rivera, 16, was the youngest U.S. athlete competing at the Paris Games. Rivera qualified for the Olympics in uneven bars and balance beam. She did not compete in the team final but was a member of the gold-medal-winning U.S. team.
Hezly Rivera became Olympic champion in her first season as a senior. In 2025, her career took off even further. Rivera earned the U.S. senior all-around title, as well as national titles on uneven bars, balancing beam, and floor exercise. She started 2026 on a high note, capturing the Winter Cup all-around, beam, and floor titles.
Rivera also was a member of the team that helped the United States capture gold at the 2026 Pan American Championships. The hamstring issue flared again because of a previous problem, and she withdrew after her vault. She sat out the U.S. Classic later as a precaution before coming back for the U.S. Championships.
Hezly Rivera successfully defended her U.S. all-around title on Aug. 10, 2026. She scored 111.950 in the two-day tournament and claimed the balancing beam gold with a 28.700. Her comeback after falling on uneven bars was one of the best comebacks in the modern history of the event.
Personal Life
Rivera tends to keep her personal life secret and has not verified that she is currently in a romantic relationship. Most of the available reporting is on gymnastics, family, and education. She enjoys shopping, maths, music, and leisure away from training. Her favorite musician, as indicated, is Katy Nichole, and her favorite book is Kobe Bryant’s *Mamba Mentality*.
Social Media
Hezly Rivera maintains a public presence across several social media platforms, primarily using the handle. Her Instagram account, @hezrivera, is her main platform and has approximately 325,000 followers, where she shares gymnastics content, competition moments, training updates, travel photos, and personal glimpses.
Hezly Rivera also maintains a Facebook presence under the name Hezly Rivera and the username @hezrivera. Her social media activity has grown significantly since her Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Games, where she became an Olympic team gold medalist at age 16.
Hezly Rivera Net Worth & Career Earnings
Rivera’s actual net worth is not known publicly. There is no estimated figure for her personal wealth, salary, or career earnings, revealed by any verified financial filing or official source. Some websites estimate her 2026 net worth to be anywhere from $500k to $2 million; however, they are based on unpublished assumptions and should not be taken as verified.
She has had income opportunities from gymnastics-related prize money, Olympic and national-team support, sponsorships, appearances, and social media partnerships. She’s also entered the commercial market as an Olympic champ. Another public endorsement announced in 2026 was for Extra Gum, although no financial conditions were mentioned. Her full athletic scholarship at LSU is part of her collegiate remuneration package; however, she has deferred enrollment.
