In Paris, the United States women’s gymnastics team delivered on the highest stage, claiming the gold medal in the team all-around final at the Bercy Arena on July 30th. At just 16 years old, Hezly Rivera stood among Olympic veterans, joining Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey, and Jordan Chiles atop the podium. It was a crowning moment for the youngest athlete in any sport on Team USA in 2024, but the medal was only part of her story. Behind the scenes, the path was demanding, and one teammate in particular took on the responsibility of helping her navigate it.
The squad’s collective performance was dominant. Biles posted the highest vault score in the team final, while Lee earned bronze on the uneven bars, becoming the first American woman to win two Olympic medals in the event. Biles added a silver in the floor exercise, tying her for the second-most decorated female gymnast in Olympic history. Rivera, despite not medaling individually, left Paris with gold in hand and the experience of competing alongside some of the sport’s most accomplished names. The Olympics marked her arrival, but the months after would test her differently.
Suni Lee recalls those weeks with precision. “I would say it’s definitely like a sisterhood, like we definitely built it up and now we’re all very close and very comfortable with each other,” she said to Olympics.com. “I think Hezly, just because she was so much younger, it was a lot harder for her, but I kind of made it like a priority to step up and be an older sister to her and somebody that she could lean on…” Lee understood the shift Rivera faced, going from the intensity of the Games to the post-Olympic tour, the pressures of social media, and the return to regular competition while wearing the title of Olympic champion. Lee’s continued messages and FaceTime calls became part of Rivera’s adjustment process.
For Lee, this commitment to Rivera was rooted in shared experience and the unique environment of the Games. “At the Olympics, it was very hard because… we had to be around each other the whole time and there were times where we were butting heads just because we were always so stressed out,” she admitted. Yet, through those confined and high-pressure days, the bonds between teammates deepened, carrying into their lives after the competition.
Credits: IG @simonebiles
That foundation proved valuable when Rivera returned to the floor for the 2025 U.S. national gymnastics championships in New Orleans. Now 17, she claimed the all-around title with 112 points, edging Leanne Wong by eight-tenths. She added gold medals in the balance beam, floor exercise, and uneven bars, sharing the latter with Skye Blakely. Rivera’s rise from the youngest member of a gold-medal team to the youngest national all-around champion in eight years reflects not only her determination but also the steady support of a teammate who understood the weight of such a journey. Despite guiding a young teammate, Suni Lee faced a crucial mental breakdown before the Olympic team final, saved by Simone Biles and her fellow gymnasts.
Suni Lee reveals breakdown before Olympic final and the pep talk that saved her.
On the eve of the 2024 Olympic women’s gymnastics team final in Paris, Sunisa Lee confronted an unraveling moment that threatened to undo months of preparation. The reigning all-around champion from Tokyo, who had spent the Games mentoring 16-year-old teammate Hezly Rivera, found herself in a state of quiet crisis. “You need to walk around like you’re the reigning Olympic champion, and you need to own it,” Simone Biles told her, summoned by Jordan Chiles when it became clear Lee’s composure was faltering.
Paris 2024 Olympics – Artistic Gymnastics – Women’s Uneven Bars Victory Ceremony – Bercy Arena, Paris, France – August 04, 2024. Bronze medallist Sunisa Lee of the United States gestures. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
Lee described the night as one marked by overwhelming tension, the kind that neither routine preparation nor prior triumph could entirely insulate against. She admitted that a pre-competition cry was familiar to her, yet this time the emotions had sharpened into a mental breakdown. In that vulnerable space, Biles’s reminder, “You need to remind yourself that you’re good enough, and you are on this team for a reason,” became the stabilizing point she needed. The following day, she stepped onto the floor beside Biles, Chiles, Carey, and Rivera, contributing to the United States’ gold-medal performance.
In reflecting on that turning point, Lee acknowledged that the outcome might have been different without her teammates’ intervention. She had entered Paris carrying not only the weight of past victories but also the complex reality of returning after serious health setbacks. Yet in the most pressurized moment, it was the presence of those beside her that shifted her trajectory. The night’s breakdown remained a private struggle until now, but its resolution was a collective act. One that underscored the intricate bonds between the athletes who competed together in Bercy Arena.
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