Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera surges to the lead at the U.S. gymnastics championships
Rivera, the youngest member of the five-woman team that cruised to gold at the 2024 Olympics, bounced back from a bumpy performance at the U.S. Classic last month. The now 17-year-old posted the top score on balance beam (14.350) and the second-highest score on floor exercise (14.000) to lead a very young field taking their first tentative steps toward the world championships this fall and — well down the road — the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Joscelyn Roberson, an Olympic alternate last summer and a rising sophomore at Arkansas, is second at 55.400. Roberson, who trained alongside two-time Olympic champion Simone Biles, finished with a dazzling floor routine to move past four-time world championship medalist Leanne Wong at 55.100.
Rivera, Roberson and Wong will head into Sunday well ahead of the rest of a field whose average age is just under 18, a significant departure from the run-up to Paris, when Biles and a group of older athletes took center stage.
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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Olympian Hezly Rivera edges Leanne Wong for victory at the US gymnastics championships
Final standings from the Senior Women's Competition at Full Results ➡️ — USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) Three weeks after a shaky meet at the US Classic, where she finished a distant 12th, Rivera responded with the kind of polished performance that all but assured her of a spot on the four-woman world championship team that will head to Jakarta, Indonesia, in October. Rivera, at the very least, locked up a spot in the world championship selection camp next month. So did Wong, a four-time world championship medalist. Third-place finisher Joscelyn Roberson, an Olympic alternate last summer, also figures to be at the selection camp as the three veterans put significant distance between themselves and the rest of a remarkably young field. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Golden yet again! 🥇 Hezly Rivera is the 2025 — USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) Advertisement Unlike LEANNE IS LOCKED IN 🔒 She scores a 13.950 on Balance Beam at — USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) Wong put pressure on Rivera from the start with a stuck Cheng vault and didn't relent over the course of two hours. Leanne Wong. Stuck Cheng. Watch — USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) Rivera responded each time — she posted the top scores on three of the four events — but it wasn't until she walked off the podium following her floor routine with victory in hand that she could relax. Advertisement Hezly Rivera shines on uneven bars with a stellar routine. 👏 📺 NBC & Peacock — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) Roberson looked ready to make it a three-woman race until she tweaked her ankle on floor exercise during the second rotation. The rising sophomore at Arkansas, visibly limping at times, continued on anyway. She gritted her way through her vault dismount, though the five-tenths (0.5) deduction for using an additional pad for her protection took her out of contention for the all-around. Skye Blakely, who was injured at the Olympic Trials in both 2021 and 2024, was sublime on both uneven bars and balance beam to put herself in consideration to make the world team.
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Hezly Rivera edges Leanne Wong for U.S. gymnastics championships title
NEW ORLEANS — Hezly Rivera met the moment. The 17-year-old Olympic gold medalist pulled away for a victory at the U.S. gymnastics championships on Sunday, looking more than ready to be the standard-bearer for the women's program in the early stages of the run-up to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Rivera, the youngest member of the five-woman team that finished atop the podium in Paris a year ago, posted a two-day total of 112.000 just eight-tenths (0.8) clear of runner-up Leanne Wong. Three weeks after a shaky meet at the U.S. Classic, where she finished a distant 12th, Rivera responded with the kind of polished performance that all but assured her of a spot on the four-woman world championship team that will head to Jakarta, Indonesia, in October. Rivera, at the very least, locked up a spot in the world championship selection camp next month. So did Wong, a four-time world championship medalist. Third-place finisher Joscelyn Roberson, an Olympic alternate last summer, also figures to be at the selection camp as the three veterans put significant distance between themselves and the rest of a remarkably young field. Unlike Asher Hong's easy win in the men's competition on Saturday, things did not come easily for Rivera. She was pushed through four rotations by Wong, a pre-med student at Florida and a budding entrepreneur who has been remarkably consistent over the last four-plus years. Wong put pressure on Rivera from the start with a stuck Cheng vault and didn't relent over the course of two hours. Rivera responded each time — she posted the top scores on three of the four events — but it wasn't until she walked off the podium following her floor routine with victory in hand that she could relax. Roberson looked ready to make it a three-woman race until she tweaked her ankle on floor exercise during the second rotation. The rising sophomore at Arkansas, visibly limping at times, continued on anyway. She gritted her way through her vault dismount, though the five-tenths (0.5) deduction for using an additional pad for her protection took her out of contention for the all-around. Skye Blakely, who was injured at the Olympic Trials in both 2021 and 2024, was sublime on both uneven bars and balance beam to put herself in consideration to make the world team.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
Olympian Hezly Rivera edges Leanne Wong for victory at the US gymnastics championships
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hezly Rivera met the moment. The 17-year-old Olympic gold medalist pulled away for a victory at the U.S. gymnastics championships on Sunday, looking more than ready to be the standard-bearer for the women's program in the early stages of the run-up to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Rivera, the youngest member of the five-woman team that finished atop the podium in Paris a year ago, posted a two-day total of 112.000 just eight-tenths (0.8) clear of runner-up Leanne Wong. Three weeks after a shaky meet at the U.S. Classic, where she finished a distant 12th, Rivera responded with the kind of polished performance that all but assured her of a spot on the four-woman world championship team that will head to Jakarta, Indonesia, in October. Rivera, at the very least, locked up a spot in the world championship selection camp next month. So did Wong, a four-time world championship medalist. Third-place finisher Joscelyn Roberson, an Olympic alternate last summer, also figures to be at the selection camp as the three veterans put significant distance between themselves and the rest of a remarkably young field. Unlike Asher Hong's easy win in the men's competition on Saturday, things did not come easily for Rivera. She was pushed through four rotations by Wong, a pre-med student at Florida and a budding entrepreneur who has been remarkably consistent over the last four-plus years. Wong put pressure on Rivera from the start with a stuck Cheng vault and didn't relent over the course of two hours. Rivera responded each time — she posted the top scores on three of the four events — but it wasn't until she walked off the podium following her floor routine with victory in hand that she could relax. Roberson looked ready to make it a three-woman race until she tweaked her ankle on floor exercise during the second rotation. The rising sophomore at Arkansas, visibly limping at times, continued on anyway. She gritted her way through her vault dismount, though the five-tenths (0.5) deduction for using an additional pad for her protection took her out of contention for the all-around. Skye Blakely, who was injured at the Olympic Trials in both 2021 and 2024, was sublime on both uneven bars and balance beam to put herself in consideration to make the world team. ___ AP sports:
