Hezly Rivera, a 16-year-old from New Jersey, will make her first Olympic appearance in Paris. She has been selected for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team.
It’s impressive that she made it to the senior team at such a young age. However, without the support of her parents, Henry Rivera and Hiedy Ruiz, Hezly wouldn’t have reached this level in her career.
Additional Information
- Hezly Rivera’s parent’s ethnic background is from Dominican roots.
- Hezly was born on United States, but her roots are from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Hezly’s parents always support her being presence at every game.
In an interview with NBC, the youngest Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team member shared that her parents made many sacrifices for her success. They even moved to Texas to support her dreams.
Connecting to it, she stated,
They are my number one support system, and always supporting me in life and in school. They are always there for everything and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Hezly Rivera’s Parents Celebrate Her Success
Hezly Rivera has made great progress in the two years since starting her professional athletic career. Her parents’ Facebook posts clearly show their pride in her.
Henry Rivera and his wife, Heidy Ruiz, frequently post pictures of their daughter doing gymnastics on social media.
About two years ago, when Hezly first competed in a Jr. Elite USA Gymnastics event and made it to the USA Jr. Women’s National team, her father, Henry, expressed his joy with a long post on LinkedIn.
Henry began his post with, “Today has been a special day for my family,” and described how hard his daughter Hezly worked, overcoming many injuries and fractures to become a successful gymnast.
He also thanked all the coaches and teachers who helped Hezly in her gymnastics journey and ended his post with the hashtag #ProudDad.
Hezly Rivera’s Dominican Parents and Their Role in Her Olympic Dream
Hezly Rivera, an up-and-coming gymnast, is the first Dominican to be named to the United States national gymnastics team.
Though Hezly was born and raised in the U.S., her parents’ nationality is rooted in Dominica.
Although Hezly was born and grew up in the United States, her roots are in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where her father, Henry Rivera, is from.
Henry seems to have moved to the United States for his education.
He graduated from Union Hill High School in New Jersey, went to Stevens Institute of Technology, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering in 2002.
After graduating, Henry started his career in New Jersey, where he settled with his wife, Heidy, and they had two children.
Even though he lives in the United States, he takes great pride in his Latino heritage. During Hispanic Heritage Month, he commented on USA Gymnast’s Facebook post, saying, “I am proud to be Hispanic/Latino.”
Additional Information
- Hezly Rivera was born to Henry Rivera and Heidy Ruiz on June 4, 2008.
- Hezly grew up in New Jersey with her younger brother, Hanley. She began gymnastics training at age 6.
- She currently lives in Plano, Texas, with her family.
