By: Megan Roche

Two years after stepping onto the Olympic stage as one of the youngest members of Team USA, Hezly Rivera has firmly established herself as one of the country’s top gymnasts.

Rivera, 18, captured her second consecutive U.S. women’s all-around national championship on Aug. 9 at the 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Phoenix, Arizona, rallying during the final day of competition to finish on top of the podium.

The victory adds another milestone to what has been a remarkable rise for Rivera, who represented the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics and helped the Americans win team gold. Since then, she has gone from an Olympic newcomer working to establish herself to a national champion capable of handling the pressure that comes with being one of the favorites.

Rivera entered the final day of competition sitting fourth in the all-around standings. Rather than allowing the deficit to define her championship, she responded with a strong second day, posting a 56.950 to finish with a two-day total of 111.950. Claire Pease finished second with 110.800, while Charleigh Bullock took third with 110.550.

Her comeback made the accomplishment even more impressive. Rivera’s final-day performance moved her from fourth place into first, giving her back-to-back national all-around titles.

And while the victory is significant on its own, it also places Rivera in some very select company.

Rivera is the first American woman not named Simone Biles to win consecutive U.S. all-around championships since Jordyn Wieber accomplished the feat in 2010 and 2011. Biles, who has dominated American gymnastics for more than a decade, has won a record nine U.S. national all-around titles.

For Rivera, that makes her achievement more than another championship. She is now part of a very short list of gymnasts who have managed to win the country’s most prestigious all-around title in consecutive years during an era dominated by Biles.

Rivera’s accomplishment is also particularly notable given how quickly her career has developed. At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, she finished fifth in the all-around and tied for first on balance beam, earning a spot on the Olympic team at just 16 years old. She went on to help the United States win team gold in Paris.

A year later, Rivera claimed her first senior national all-around championship. Now, she has successfully defended it.

Her 2026 season has continued to build on that momentum. Rivera won the senior women’s all-around at the Winter Cup in February, along with titles on balance beam and floor exercise, before adding another national championship to her résumé.

The back-to-back titles also come at an important point in Rivera’s career. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics approaching, she is no longer simply the young gymnast who earned an unexpected Olympic roster spot.

She is a national champion — twice over.

And with every new title, Rivera is making her own place in the history of American gymnastics.