America's youngest Olympic athlete cites Isaiah 40:31 after winning gold medal
Sixteen-year-old gymnast Hezly Rivera thanked God and cited an Old Testament verse after the United States won gold in team gymnastics this week in Paris.
The U.S. women's gymnastics team won the Olympic gold medal on Tuesday, helping the country become the first to record 3,000 medals in its Olympic history.
The five gold medal winners on the U.S. women's gymnastics team include 27-year-old Simone Biles, 24-year-old Jade Carey, 23-year-old Jordan Chiles, 21-year-old Sunisa Lee and Rivera.
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Of the winners, Rivera, who made history as the youngest athlete on a U.S. Olympic team across all sports since Kerri Strug, who was 14 in 1992, has not shied away from sharing how her Christian faith has helped her on the mat as she grows in her gymnastic skills day by day.
"Olympic gold medalist. Couldn't be more thankful and super proud of this team," Rivera wrote on Instagram Tuesday after the team secured the gold, citing Isaiah 40:31.
The passage from Isaiah states: "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
The New Jersey native took home a gold medal for the team's final victory despite not participating in the floor competition in the finals on Tuesday.
She made her Olympic debut on Sunday in the preliminary round of the women's gymnastics competition, where she competed in two apparatuses.
Rivera scored 13.900 in the uneven bars and 12.633 in the beam, coming in 26th place. However, her score wasn't enough for her to qualify in any of the individual events on Tuesday (uneven bars, floor, beam, or vault), marking the first time since 2008 that the U.S. had a women's gymnastics member not compete in the team final.
Even though she did not participate in the team final, the young gymnast expressed happiness for her teammates as they competed. She has high hopes for what lies ahead for her future.
"This was just an amazing experience, you know, and just being with the team and supporting them meant the world to me," Rivera told reporters after the U.S. captured the gold.
"It was so surreal. I was just everywhere; my mind was everywhere. But I'm so happy to be here and this team has worked so hard, so I'm so proud of each and every one of us."
Rivera's family members spoke with reporters at NBC 5 to share their sentiments for their daughter's Olympic efforts.
Rivera's mother, Heidy Ruiz, said she told her daughter to pray before she steps on the mat to perform a routine.
"We tell her to pray, be confident and she got this," Heidy Ruiz said.
Her father, Henry Rivera, told the outlet that the family "couldn't be more excited."
"That was a great accomplishment," Rivera said. "Making the team is just the main thing. But, being the youngest out of all the athletes, that's something that you can't take away from her ever."
The couple said that they moved from New Jersey to Plano, Texas, to help Rivera's gymnastics dreams come true.
In Texas, Rivera trained at the world-renowned WOGA Gymnastics Academy.
"It means the world to her, so it means the world to us as family members. We couldn't ask for anything better than this, to be honest. This is the outcome that we always envisioned. … And it's only the beginning," Henry Rivera said.
In a June 26 video posted to her Instagram page, Rivera stated: "After I pray, I know that I have to believe."
In July 1 post, she cited Philippians 4:13 after securing a spot on the Olympic team. The verse states: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Rivera's teammate, Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts in history, has landed moves in gymnastic history that no one has landed.
Biles has mastered two floor moves named after her: the Biles I (a double back layout with a half twist) and the Biles II (a triple-double: two flips and three twists). No woman besides Biles has landed the Biles II in any competition.
Biles referred to the Paris Olympics as the "redemption tour" for the U.S. women's gymnastics team after the team took silver behind Russia in Tokyo in 2021.
Biles competed in all four events of the team final, even while enduring a calf injury during floor warmups in the qualifying segment on Sunday.
Biles still achieved the all-around highest scores on floor and vault during the qualifying and earned additional high scores in the final on Tuesday.
"We've all been through a lot. We all have our own stories to talk about. But, most importantly, we got the job done. We're super excited to go and celebrate with our families, and we couldn't ask for any more from our performance. We showed them that we can do it with the proper training mentally and physically. Yeah, we did it," Biles told NBC Sports following the Gold win.
Lee also scored high on bars and beam on Tuesday.
"I feel like we came together today as a team really well. And picking each other up and lifting each other up when we needed it. It just felt amazing to be back out here. This medal is absolutely insane. I literally cannot stop smiling. But, it was so fun and I'm so happy right now," Lee told NBC Sports.
Lee and Biles will compete in the individual all-around games on Thursday.
Nicole VanDyke is a reporter for The Christian Post.
