According to Hezly Rivera, every one of her teammates on the U.S. women's gymnastics squad is the biggest hype artist.
"They're very uplifting and supportive, and they'll always cheer you on, no matter what," the 16-year-old, who'll be making her debut at the 2024 Olympics in Paris as the youngest member of the entire U.S. delegation, told E! News in an exclusive interview. "We're all a part of Team USA and they're always going to cheer every single person that goes up. That's very special."
And while the Oradell, N.J., native doesn't have firsthand knowledge of how Simone Biles & Co. are on the Olympic stage, the youngest member of the team has no doubt that every one of them will have her back.
"They've already been through this experience," Rivera said of Biles, 27, Suni Lee, 21, and Jordan Chiles, 23—all of whom won team silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (in 2021)—and Jade Carey, 24, who took the gold for her floor exercise. "So they're just going to be such great role models for me" and "amazing guides."
Though she hasn't known them personally for all that long, "Just talking with them throughout the trials," Rivera said, "I felt like I clicked with them. I think this team dynamic is like family."
And they're "not just supportive gymnasts," Rivera added. "Outside of that, they're like the nicest human beings ever, always supporting each other. And I know that they're gonna help me through everything for my first Games."
Biles has already proved she's not here for any criticism of her 2024 teammates' talent and dedication on her watch, the most decorated gymnast ever knowing all too well how the weight of expectations can take its toll.
But count Rivera among those whose jaw dropped when she found out she had made the team.
"I was ecstatic," she recalled, "because everything I've been working for finally paid off, so to be in that position...I heard my name, and I was shocked."
You can't argue with the math, Rivera finishing fifth all-around at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Minneapolis earlier this month and tying Joscelyn Roberson for first place on beam (besting Biles and Lee in the process). But, the teen continued, "I almost couldn't believe it. When I heard my name, I was like, 'Me?!' It was an amazing experience, but this has just been such a great journey."
The Paris Olympics will be only her fourth international competition after her world stage debut at the 2022 DTB Pokal Cup in Germany, followed by the 2023 FIG Artistic Junior World Championships in Turkey and the 2024 Jesolo Trophy in Italy.
Getting ready for the biggest, most glittering of world stages (not least because the Olympic gymnastics team's Luminous Legacy tank leotards each boast 10,000 Swarovski crystals), "I just need to have confidence in myself and trust my training," Rivera explained. "And I always pray before we leave for meets. That really calms me down and gets me in a good mental space."
Worship music is also her jam, the teen singling out Katy Nichole as her favorite artist whose tunes, she said, get her "calm but pumped up as well."
And she really tries to be as clearheaded as possible. "I try to not overthink before the meet and do whatever I can to not get overwhelmed," she said, "because obviously this is a big stage, and it can be a lot of pressure."
This will also be Rivera's first time in the City of Lights, minus a stop at the airport, and she is understandably psyched to see the Eiffel Tower more than anything.
"I've been wanting to do that forever," she noted. (And, incidentally, if she earns any type of medal, she'll be taking a piece of the tower home with her, all of the medals from the Games decorated on one side with a hexagon-shaped piece of scrap iron from the 135-year-old landmark.)
And once Rivera has settled into the Olympic Village—"That's just so surreal to me," she marveled of getting to actually stay there after years of hearing stories about it—she may have some questions for her teammates.
"I would ask them what to expect," she shared, "because they've already been through this. I would think that would give me more confidence. I just want to know what the experience is like."
As for what she's supposed to do when it's go-time, however, no one knows the answer to that question better than Rivera, who's preparing spotlight-caliber moves for all four apparatuses: floor, beam, bars and vault.
"We'll see when we get there, how trainings go," she explained. "I'm doing the normal trainings that I would for championships and trials, because you never know what could happen."
But, Rivera said, "I know my gymnastics. And I know what I have to do. So as long as I do me, and not try to do any better or any worse, I know that I'll be fine."
If that sounds wise beyond her years, that's just how Team USA's youngest member rolls (not to mentions twists, bounces and flies through the air).
"It's very important to be confident," Rivera said. "Because I know that I can do it. I just need to believe it."
And now get an eyeful of the leotards the U.S. women's gymnastics team will be sporting at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which Rivera dubbed "the prettiest leos I've ever seen":
—Reporting by Colleen O'Neill
Go For Glory Leotard
Team USA is depicted wearing the outfits reserved for the Team Final. They pay homage to the iconic leotard the "Magnificent Seven" wore at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where they became the first U.S. women's gymnastics team to win Olympic gold.
Red, White and Blue
A close-up of the outfit shows its red, white and blue Spanglez design and standard brilliance and ruby crystals cut into diamond shapes—9,929 in total.
Weight: 0.80 lbs
Luminous Legacy Leotard
Simone Biles is depicted wearing the outfit.
Luminous Legacy Leotard
The outfit includes red and silver hologram Spanglez and more than 10,000 Swarovski crystals.
Weight: 0.60 lbs
American Anthem Leotard
The navy and white ombre outfit includes Silver Hologram Spanglez and 5,297 crystals, with 300 making up an American flag on the right hip area.
Weight: 0.65 lbs
USA Elegance Leotard
The red and navy ombre outfit is adorned with over 5,000 crystals.
Weight: 0.55 lbs
Sovereign Sparkle Leotard
The outfit is adorned with 3,423 standard brilliance and turquoise shimmer Crystals to create an imagining of Paris at twilight, with patterns that pay homage to the Eiffel Tower.
Sovereign Sparkle Leotard
A close-up of the outfit.
Freedom's Grace Leotard
The white leotard includes a red, white, and blue criss-cross corseting pattern on the back and 3,494 garnet, midnight, and brilliance crystals, as well as 970 white pearls.
Weight: 0.50 lbs
Freedom's Grace Leotard
A close-up of the outfit.
Star Spangled Shine Leotard
The outfit includes 6,359 standard billiance, garnet, periwinkle, turquoise shimmer and metallic gold crystals.
Weight: 0.70 lbs
Star Spangled Shine Leotard
A close-up of the outfit.