Hezly Rivera Reacts to Being the YOUNGEST Team USA Olympian at Age 16! | 2024 Olympics | E! News

[@Jude74]

Here’s what I think is amazing. It used to be they were all 16 to 18-year-olds. Now she’s the only one under the age of 20. The modern US women’s Olympic team has made it a sport for women not just for girls. You can compete as a 24-year-old and expect to medal. That’s improvement. That shows that we’ve gotten better with understanding the physiology of the sport as well as the nutritional side. These women look strong, they don’t look emaciated. Even she didn’t expect to make this team, she was shooting for the next Olympics where she will be 20. They look like they’re ready to take on the world and I couldn’t be prouder of Team USA!

[@tc_0766]

It’s not just the US team that has done that…

[@queeniebee7736]

Go Hezly! We are so proud for you to represent team USA!!

[@fluidartdreamer]

She has a great head on her shoulders. Go team USA 😊🇺🇲

[@kevinjewell233]

The bouquets of flowers they received at the Olympic Trials had the blue cornflowers, the favorite flower of Queen Marie-Antoinette, they are everywhere in Versailles, she also loved Anglophones!!!

[@PaulineHelmersson-hf5yf]

She has very good competition nerves, She. Will do great.

[@christinazuniga329]

❤ congratulations. I can't wait to see you 😍

[@abbieprice3430]

Hezly already stands out with her unique H name! I’ll be on the lookout to see how her gymnastics skills will turn out in Paris!

[@catherinecangiano9231]

You're wonderful! Suerte!

[@janetjohnson7279]

Good Luck!! 👍🏻

[@buddysgirl3305]

Come on guys. There’ve been MANY gymnasts who got on the team at 16. It’s nice that she made it but the age is not unusual.

[@kervinventura8758]

💪🏽 🇩🇴

[@PaulineHelmersson-hf5yf]

Shawn Johnson was only 16, winning gols and silver.

[@Elong.]

US Gymnasts use to win at 14

[@brooklyn_klok]

@@Elong.that’s a good thing though because US gymnasts don’t peak at 14 and can have longer careers now

[@PaulineHelmersson-hf5yf]

Only as a junior. You cant compete in senior lever at 14.

[@courtneypuzzo2502]

16 is the age minimum to compete in the Olympics has been since 2008 the min age from 1956 to 1996 was 14 yrs old hence how you got athletes like Nadia Comaneci Kerri Strug and Dominique Moceanu among others right for example Kerri Strug made her first Olympic team aged 14 years 7 mos. in June 1992 for the Barcelona Olympics 7 Gymnasts competed and 5 scores counted towards team score Miller's average across the 4 Apparatus in 1992 was 9.91 enough to earn all around silver and Silver on Beam her other 3 medals team all around Floor and uneven bars were Bronze and for the two event finals she competed in in Atlanta in 1996 her average score was 9.63 including a Gold for Balance Beam. Hazly will likely win team all around and an individual medal though its 3 team members compete in the individual all around all scores count and in Apparatus finals its 2 team members from each country that qualified a first timer is unlikely to make it to Apparatus finals usually the more experienced team members or specialists in certain Apparatus are picked for finals so for example it could be Suni and Jordan on Bars and Beam and Jade and Simone on Vault & Floor Simone has the hardest floor routine in the Competition 6.7 Difficulty and 10 execution her vault is a 6.4 Difficulty and 10 execution Yurchenko double pike one of the hardest vaults in Women's Gymnastics currently rated a 6.6 difficulty downgraded from 7.0 usually the younger gymnasts do easier vaults like the YDT Tsukahara etc. and older Gymnasts due the more difficult like Barani Schwfelt 21/2 Produnova etc.

[@erikaleonard2848]

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🥰🥰🥰🥰💐💐💐💐💐💐😊

[@Yas07-q2s]

🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴🇩🇴

[@sydneycarrr]

Wasn't Kyla Ross 15 at the time of the Olympics making her younger? She turned 16 in October the Olympic year

[@Jude74]

They mean the youngest Olympian this year. In the past they had Olympians that were 14, 15 and 16. In fact, they used to be a bunch of age scandals because countries falsified birth certificates. That’s how the United States ended up getting the bronze medal from the 2000 Olympics because it turned out one of the athletes on bronze medal winning team was under age. What makes it more amazing is that she is the only teenager on the squad. Usually the 20-year-old somebody is called grandma. Now they’re all adults except for her. That’s progress.

[@Elong.]

Hezly is actually the youngest US athlete in all sports

[@tc_0766]

@@Elong.this year