Hezly Rivera adds U.S. all-around gymnastics title to her Olympic gold medal
Rivera totaled 112 points in two days of competition in New Orleans, prevailing by eight tenths over Leanne Wong, a two-time Olympic alternate.
Joscelyn Roberson, another Paris Olympic alternate, was third.
While the rest of her Paris gold-medal teammates are taking this season off, Rivera, the youngest 2024 U.S. Olympian across all sports, took a major step in her young career.
GYMNASTICS: Results
Rivera is:
at 17, the youngest U.S. all-around champion since Ragan Smith in 2017
the first woman to win junior and senior all-around titles since Jordyn Wieber (2008 and 2011-12)
the sixth American woman since 2000 to pair Olympic gold with a national all-around title (Simone Biles, Wieber, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, Carly Patterson)
Rivera, the 2023 U.S. junior all-around champ, opened the 2024 Olympic selection season by placing 24th at the U.S. Classic (about a week after her grandmother died).
She climbed to sixth in her senior U.S. Championships debut, then fifth at the Olympic Trials as some veteran gymnasts became sidelined by injuries.
She was picked to be the lone rookie on the Olympic team alongside Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles.
This week, Rivera had the highest scores on balance beam, floor exercise and uneven bars combining scores from Thursday and Sunday.
Wong, the most experienced woman in the field at 21, won vault.
Next up: a selection competition in early autumn, after which four women will be named to compete at October's World Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The all-around winner at the selection event automatically makes the team. A committee picks the other three, taking into account results at nationals and other 2025 meets.
Skye Blakely is another gymnast in contention for a world spot.
She was runner-up to Biles at the 2024 U.S. Championships, then tore her right Achilles two days before the Olympic Trials.
In her first elite meet in 14 months, Blakely competed strictly on beam and bars. She had the top scores on each event Sunday, two days after placing tied for eighth and ninth on them.
Nick Zaccardi,
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