Paris Olympics gold medalist Hezly Rivera visits Olivia Dunne's LSU for last official visit before choosing her college

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Sep 23, 2024 15:49 GMT

2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist Hezly Rivera recently visited the Lousiana State University (LSU) as an official tour before choosing her college. Rivera is currently pursuing her high school education at a virtual institution, Connection Academy, and will pass out from the institution in 2026.

Besides Rivera, three more gymnasts namely Dulcy Caylor, Zoey Molomo, and Evey Lowe were among the visitors to the institution. All these four gymnasts still have two years to go in their high school tenure and all four of them also competed at the 2024 US Olympics Gymnastics team trials in Minneapolis.

Rivera also has a history with Olivia Dunne, one of the current members of the LSU Women's Gymnastics roster who is currently in her fifth year of her college eligibility. Dunne was the training partner of Rivera during the latter's early gymnastic days at the ENA Gymnastics Center in New Jersey.

Following her visit to the LSU, Rivera took to her official Instagram handle to share some glimpses of her visit to the campus in her story. The 16-year-old also visited the gymnastics training center of the institution.

"If you guessed LSU you were right! last official visit" she wrote.

Screenshot of Rivera's Instagram story (Image via: Rivera Instagram handle)

Louisiana State University (LSU) is currently one of the top institutions when it comes to collegiate gymnastics, having won the 2024 NCAA Gymnastics Championships. The current gymnastics roster of LSU is also stacked with talented members such as Haleigh Bryant, Olivia Dunne, and 2024 NCAA floor exercises champion, Aleah Finnegan.

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Hezly Rivera graces the baseball pitch for a ceremonial visit after a successful 2024 Paris Olympics campaign

Rivera at the New York Yankees v Texas Rangers game (Image via: Getty Images)

A month after her gold medal-winning campaign in Paris, Hezly Rivera featured during a Major League Baseball (MLB) match. The 16-year-old was present during a New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers game (on September 4) and also threw the first pitch before the start of the proceedings of the match.

Follwoing this first-time MLB experience, Rivera said she was nervous during the throw as she expected she wouldn't be able to throw it accurately. She stated (via Dallas Morning News):

"A little bit nerve-wracking. because I don’t do baseball, but it was such a great experience, it was so fun. I didn’t think I could actually throw straight and throw that well, so I’m proud of myself."

During her throw, Hezly Rivera also executed a side flip on the baseball pitch as she looked to execute some of her gymnastics' prowess.