Hezly Rivera was the youngest teammate of Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics as the team claimed gold. But lately, she had the gymnastics community fearing for her for a while now. On June 12th, just days before the 2025 Pan American Championships, Inside Gymnastics shared a video of her training a vault, run, flip, twist, all executed flawlessly. But the landing? That’s where concern crept in. “It’s definitely not her strong event… I just wish it wasn’t so scary to watch,” one fan commented. Fortunately, things turned out fine at Pan Ams. She helped the U.S. clinch team gold, earned a bronze on beam, and posted a solid 13.800 on vault, though it wasn’t enough for the podium. The real scare, however, came later, at the U.S. Classic…
Hezly Rivera’s night at the U.S. Classic on July 19 felt like a punch to the gut for both her and her fans: after a terrifying fall from her uneven bars dismount (11.950), a shaky beam routine, and an under‑rotated vault, she nevertheless mustered every ounce of determination to soar on floor, earning a well‑deserved silver (13.85) and finishing 12th all‑around with a 51.500. Now, a video of her gymnastics coach has been going viral. She requests that she change her gym. Here’s what happened.
Rivera trains under the esteemed coaching duo Vlaeri Liukin and Anna Liukin at WOGA Gymnastics in Plano, Texas. A post on X has gained momentum, showing how Valeri reacted to a routine mishap Rivera experienced during the 2025 Classic. The video shows her approaching what should have been a clean double-layout release, but then she misaligned in the air, her form faltered, rotation remained incomplete, and she crashed onto the mat forcefully and without control. And Vlaeri could be seen observing it all.
This was a behavior that had the fans commenting, “someone get her in a new gym my god“. Even during the floor event, Rivera did a little fumble as seen in the video, and the coach then, all of a sudden, has his one hand covering his mouth, looking worried, and no empathy for her. He did the same when she completed her floor routine. Mind it, it was the best part about her performance at the 2025 US Classic. She opened with a full-twisting double layout that flew high—though it went slightly out of bounds, earning a small artistry deduction.
— owen (@flaviasrings) July 21, 2025
She rebounded with a stuck double layout, a clean double wolf turn, a punch front into double back combo, and capped it off with an energetic 2.5‑twisting dismount. Her effort earned a solid 13.850 (D 5.8, E 8.150), securing second place on floor and marking the highlight of her day, but maybe Valeri wanted more. For now, the fans are concerned and want her to change the gym.
Fans ask Simone Biles’ youngest teammate to switch gym
The fans want the 2024 Olympian to switch gyms on priority, and they are also bashing the coach for his behavior. One user commented, “The fact there’s absolutely no concern for her after a dangerous fall is insane. He could at least try and act worried.” This was when he just stood there with his arms on his waist as Rivera crashed onto the mat forcefully and without control. Another fan lost it and said, “omg hezly…..honey please leave that man and get a coach who can actually spare a f or two to give about you and your wellbeing”.
The vibe was matched with another user saying, “VALERI LIUKIN WHEN I CATCH YOU. HEZLY GO TO WCC PLS IM BEGGING“. WCC stands for World Champions Centre, the elite gymnastics gym in Spring, Texas, that’s owned by Simone Biles’ parents, Ron and Nellie Biles. The place can be great for Rivera, as many other young gymnasts are in training there. Another fan took to the comments to drop a message that read, “@CoachOwenField save her please like why did Valeri just stare at here like that? ”.
Owen Field is Associate Head Coach for the Florida Gators women’s gymnastics team, specializing in uneven bars and recruiting at UF. But Rivera does not have any affiliation with the Florida Gators gymnastics program. Instead, she has committed to LSU (Louisiana State University) and will be joining the LSU Tigers gymnastics team starting in the 2026–27 academic year. Share your thoughts on this!
The post Gymnastics Fans Make Emotional Plea to Simone Biles’ Youngest Teammate After Scary Fall appeared first on EssentiallySports.