Hezly Rivera Ruiz, a teenager with Dominican parents living in Oradell, N.J., unexpectedly secured a spot on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team last month after finishing fifth at the Olympic trials in Minnesota.
Rivera Ruiz just turned 16, making her the youngest member of a team full of 20-year-old Olympic veterans, including four-time gold medalist Simone Biles, 27, and 2021 All Around gold medalist Sunisa Lee, 21.
Hezly is the daughter of Dominicans Henry Rivera and Heidy Ruiz, who live in New Jersey.
According to Dominican media, Hezly’s parents had contacted the president of the Dominican Gymnastics Federation, Edwin Rodriguez, when the teenager was 15 years old, but preferred the opportunities offered by competing for a spot with the U.S. team.
“As parents, we would like Hezly to represent the Dominican Republic, but opportunities are not wasted,” Hezly’s father told Listín Diario.
The gymnast’s parents pointed out that “the future goes beyond the Olympic Games. She will have a university scholarship, which in this market is very difficult for Hispanic people and we are not going to waste that offer, because later she will become an academic professional”.
Not a favorite
Hezly was not one of the favorites according to the NY Post but took advantage of the moment when teammates Skye Blakely, 19, and Kayla DiCello, 20, suffered injuries. Her impressive performance included earning 27,975 points on two balance beam routines, beating both Biles and Lee on the apparatus and tying for the top score with Joscelyn Roberson.
“It feels so surreal,” Hezly told NBC’s “TODAY” show about the moment she has dreamed of since she was 8 years old. “It’s just all my hard work has paid off. I’m really excited.”
Biles and the other women on the team, which also includes Jordan Chiles, 23, and Jade Carey, 24, have welcomed Hezly and taken her under their wing. There have already been team lunches, pool meetings and a Fourth of July celebration. “She’s so young.She can’t even drive! Should we teach her to drive before we get to Paris? “Biles joked affectionately about Hezly in an interview with Hoda Kotb on “Today.”
The new Olympic gymnast showed natural talent from an early age. Her father, Henry Rivera, 44, recalled taking her to a birthday party at a gymnastics gym at age 5 and noticing her flips and casual spins.
“The coaches approached us,” Henry told The Post. “They said, ‘You’ve got to bring her in.’ ‘ She made the team at the first audition. That’s very unusual.”
She soon became hooked on the sport, practicing for hours at ENA Gymnastics in Paramus.
“All he ever wanted to do was be in the gym,” Henry said.
She ended up training with future college stars four years older than her, including Instagram phenomenon and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Olivia Dunne, 21, who went to Louisiana State University, and University of Alabama star gymnast Corinne Bunagan, 21.
“Hezly was the little one in the group who kept up with them. She was always very, very special and had a twinkle in her eye that is still there,” Jennifer Zappa, head coach and co-owner of ENA Gymnastics, told The Post.
At age 8, she began homeschooling herself so she could practice more intensely.
Source:Noticiassin.com
