2023 Winter Cup: Hezly Rivera bests junior and senior women’s fields en route to three titles, junior world team berth

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The three-peat wasn’t meant to be for Cincinnati’s Ella Kate Parker, but in her stead, WOGA’s Hezly Rivera rode a stunning beam set on her way to the 2023 Winter Cup junior women’s all-around title.

Rivera was third all-around at Winter Cup last year and second at the U.S. Classic, tangibly showcasing her rising stock in the U.S. elite ranks.

“I just wanted to take everything one step at a time and do what I do in the gym, because I know I can hit my routines,” Rivera said after the meet. “So I just wanted to try and stay calm and do one skill at a time and it worked out.”

The title-winning performance started on beam, where the 14-year-old was nearly flawless throughout her difficult set to earn a 13.800 – the top score of the entire competition, including the senior women.

She had the confidence of an experienced gymnast beyond her years as she floated through her set that included a clean double wolf turn, back handspring layout stepout, front aerial to split jump to straddle jump connection, a beautiful ring leap, and a double pike. The only noticeable errors in the set were a small bobble on her switch leap half and a step back on her dismount. 

“I’m definitely most proud of my beam routine,” Rivera said of her set. “I felt more confident in my routine [today], because it was like a little wobbly this week in training. So I just tried to stay calm.”

Then it was on to floor, where Rivera would have also made the senior podium with her 13.450. Her routine included a double layout, full-in, smooth triple wolf turn, great extension on her leaps, punch front through to double back, and a clean 2.5 twist to finish.

On vault, Rivera executed a clean double-twisting Yurchenko that earned her a 13.650, the second highest score in the field.

Rivera finished on bars, where she earned a 12.450 after an exceptionally difficult set that included an in-bar 1/1, Maloney, stalder to straddled Tkatchev, Pak salto, Van Leeuwen, and piked Jaeger. The set highlighted her excellent form and extension.

Unfortunately, Rivera struggled on her full-twisting double back dismount, seemingly unable to get the skill around and took a scary fall forward. She was able to walk off the podium of her own accord and still finished with the seventh-best bars score of the day thanks to a 5.4 difficulty score – the highest in the junior field.

“I guess I was a little tired at the end,” Rivera said of the fall. “I was trying to go for my full-in, full-out dismount, and it didn’t feel too bad in the air. But I don’t know, I guess I was just too tired to kick, and I didn’t get the landing all the way through.”

Rounding out the all-around podium was 2022 U.S. Classic champion Jayla Hang (Pacific Reign) with a 52.300 and Kieryn Finnell (RGA) with a 52.250.

Rivera and Hang took home two event titles each, with Rivera winning beam (13.800) and floor (13.450). Hang tied for the vault title with Lailah Danzy (Pride), with both athletes earning 13.800s for their double-twisting Yurchenkos. Hang also topped the field on bars with a 13.700.

With junior worlds just a few weeks away, Rivera and Hang also earned automatic spots on the U.S. women’s team.

“This meet definitely gave me a confidence boost,” Rivera said about her preparations. “I know I can hit my routines and just stay calm. And I’m looking forward to getting a few medals out and to just try to hit my best routines that I can and stay calm and not freak out.”

This is Rivera’s final season as a junior before she ascends to the senior ranks next year, meaning she will be eligible for the Paris Olympics.