Hezly Rivera, the youngest member of the Olympic champion women’s gymnastics team, plans to compete collegiately for LSU after she graduates from high school in 2026.
“I am so blessed & excited to announce that I have verbally committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) on a full athletic scholarship,” was posted on her social media.
Rivera, 16, was the youngest U.S. Olympian in any sport in Paris, the youngest artistic gymnast from any nation and the youngest U.S. athlete in any sport to win a gold medal since Katie Ledecky and Kyla Ross at the 2012 London Games.
She competed on the balance beam and uneven bars in qualifying.
Rivera, who trains in Texas, made the Olympic team in her first season as a senior gymnast, stepping up after injuries to key veterans.
She won the 2023 U.S. junior all-around title, then placed sixth in the senior all-around at the 2024 U.S. Championships and fifth at the Olympic Trials.
LSU won its first national title last season with a team that included NCAA all-around champion Haleigh Bryant, 2022 U.S. all-around champion Konnor McClain and Aleah Finnegan, a Paris Olympian for the Philippines.
Rivera can become the sixth U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics gold medalist to compete in the NCAA after Kyla Ross, Madison Kocian, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles.