Hezly Rivera's Dad Explains His Now-Viral Reaction To His Daughter Making Team USA
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At 16 years old, Hezly Rivera is headed to the Olympics as Team USA's youngest athlete. The gymnast joins four squad veterans—Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Jade Carey—as they head to Paris.
“It feels so surreal,” she told TODAY after the Olympic Trials. “It’s just all my hard work has been paying off. I’m so excited.”
Hezly's two biggest fans have been supporting her the entire time: her parents, Henry Rivera and Heidy Ruiz. In a now-viral moment, Hezly's dad Henry couldn't keep his tears from flowing as his daughter made the Olympic team.
So, who are the two people who raised Olympian Hezly Rivera? Keep reading to find out more about gymnastics’ latest superstar.
Henry Rivera and Heidy Ruiz raised their family in New Jersey.
Hezly is a Jersey girl. She was born on June 4, 2008 in Hackensack, New Jersey, to parents Henry Rivera and Heidy Ruiz, according to People. She was raised in Oradell, New Jersey.
In 2022, the family moved to Plano, Texas. This was so Hezly could train with Valeri Liukin, the father of five-time Olympic medalist Nastia Liukin and coach to three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas, per The New York Post.
Hezly Rivera has two siblings.
Hezly isn't the only Rivera kid. She has two siblings, younger brother Hanly Rivera and older sister Carhelis Abreu, per the Post. Carhelis works as a marketing consultant, according to her IG bio.
Hezly Rivera’s parents enrolled her in gymnastics classes when she was five.
Hezly showed Olympic promise as soon as she stepped foot in a gym, her father Henry told the New York Post. When she was 5 years old, Hezly attended a gymnastics-themed birthday party, where coaches were stunned by how easily she could flip and cartwheel.
“The coaches approached us,” Henry told the Post. “They said, ‘You got to bring her in.’ She made the team on the first audition. That’s very unusual.”
Hezly started training at ENA Gymnastics in Paramus, New Jersey. She was young and tiny, but kept up with the older girls and always had a sparkle in her eyes, her former coach shared with the Post.
Hezly Rivera’s dad is originally from the Dominican Republic.
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Hezly’s father Henry is from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, but immigrated to the United States when he was in high school to attend New Jersey's Union Hill High School, per Distractify. He earned a computer engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2002.
Henry draws inspiration from NBA star Kobe Bryant, even gifting his daughter the basketball player's book The Mamba Mentality: How I Play to inspire her, according to the Post.
"Her ticket was always outworking everyone. Her mentality was almost that ‘mamba mentality,’" he told the newspaper. "If you want something, you go for it. It’s never going to be handed [to you], especially being a Latina."
Hezly Rivera’s parents are her biggest fans.
While Hezly herself is pretty excited to join the team, her parents might be even more pumped. Hezly stayed calm as she won her spot on the team, but her father broke down in tears in a sweet, now-viral moment.
"No words. I can't describe everything that is going through my head," her dad later told NBC Sports of watching his daughter perform. "It's the biggest joy in the world."
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