On Day 1 of the women’s U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Friday, Hezly Rivera launched herself off the bar, reached out to grab it — and fell. The 2024 Olympic gold medalist entered Sunday’s competition in fourth when she tried the skill again, caught it and rode that momentum to her second consecutive national championship.No woman had pulled off that large of a comeback for the all-around title since Courtney Kupets in 2003.“I wasn’t looking at the scores, I wasn’t looking at the scoreboard, I was just focusing on myself and my gymnastics and what I have to do, so it was actually stress-free,” Rivera told NBC after winning the competition by 1.15 points. “I took all the pressure I could off myself, because it’s no fun when you’re stressed or nervous.”
BACK-TO-BACK. 💪 Hezly Rivera becomes the first woman since Simone Biles to win two consecutive U.S. All-Around Gymnastics TITLES! pic.twitter.com/totRBjpboH
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2026Rivera, 18, made a name for herself by winning gold as a member of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team as a first-year senior. Two years later, she won her second straight national all-around title, along with gold on beam and silver on floor. The win comes two months after she withdrew from the Pan American Championships with an injury.Claire Pease led until the second half of Sunday’s competition, when two out-of-bounds landings on floor dropped her to a silver medal in the all-around. First-year senior Charleigh Bullock, 16, finished third, with Reese Esponda fourth and three-time Olympic medalist Jade Carey fifth.
