2024 Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera clinched her first U.S. National title on Sunday, edging out Olympic alternates Leanne Wong and Joscelyn Roberson at the 2025 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Rivera also won gold on the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise, while Wong claimed sole possession of the vault title, her second career national title. Two-time World Champion Skye Blakely roared to life on day two, tying Rivera for first on the uneven bars.
Heading into this week’s competition, many doubted Rivera. The 17-year-old won gold with Team USA at the 2024 Olympics but struggled with consistency in 2025. Most recently at the U.S. Classic, Rivera, fell on two of her four events.
In New Orleans, Rivera looked like a different gymnast. She entered Sunday with a slim two-tenths lead over Roberson and Wong and a national title on the line. “It means the world to me,” Rivera said when asked about her win. “I worked so hard for this (title)…it was not easy coming back from the Olympics.”
With scores carrying over from the first night of competition, it was all-or-nothing on Sunday night in the Big Easy.
Here’s how the action unfolded on the final night in New Orleans.
Rotation One:
Wong was the first of the leaders to begin her day, starting on vault. Earlier in warmups, Wong shocked fans with the reprisal of her difficult Cheng vault. If she could land it cleanly, it would significantly increase her all-around threat and viability for the 2025 World team.
In veteran fashion, Wong brought her A-game, sticking the skill for arguably the best vault of her career. Her score? A staggering 14.600 – a massive six-tenths increase on her score from night one. The all-around battle was on.
Rivera would be up next, competing a lesser-valued double-twisting Yurchenko. On night one, Rivera delivered arguably the best vault of her career. Tonight, Rivera had a sizable hop back of the skill, but still posted a strong 14.050. Just like that, Wong surpassed Rivera in the standings.
While Wong and Rivera sparred on vault, second-place Roberson started her night on beam. In typical fashion, Roberson nailed her opening standing full twist and then fought through a potential catastrophe on her acrobatic series. The routine wasn’t perfect, but it delivered a 13.700 – a solid start.
After One: 1. Leanne Wong: 69.700, 2. Hezly Rivera: 69.650, 3. Joscelyn Roberson: 69.100, 4. Ashlee Sullivan: 67.500, 5. Dulcy Caylor: 66.900
Rotation Two:
The three leaders maintained their stronghold over the field heading into rotation two, with fourth place falling nearly two points below Roberson’s score. However, with three events to go, anything could happen.
In her second event of the night, Leanne Wong delivered again. Wong floated through her intricate bar routine, nearly sticking her double layout dismount for another hit. The judges awarded a 13.950, a significant four-tenths increase from Wong’s night one score. The pressure was on, and Wong wasn’t letting up.
Once again, Rivera would immediately follow her top competitor. Bars were Rivera’s lowest-scoring event on night one, and she would look to improve on the 13.450 tonight. Rivera followed with another strong hit, showing marked improvement from her night one routine. With a huge 14.150 as her score, Rivera did just what she needed to remain in contention for gold, hurdling Wong for gold.
Though not contending for the all-around and only competing bars and beam, two-time World Champion Skye Blakely nailed her bars routine as well, posting the highest score of the weekend thus far, a huge 14.350.
Over on floor, Joscelyn Roberson fought through her routine after posting the highest floor score on night one. Though she nailed her most difficult opening pass, the tumbling juggernaut landed short on her third and fourth passes, incurring deductions. Her score, a 13.750, marked a four-tenth drop from night one.
After Two: 1. Hezly Rivera: 83.800, 2. Leanne Wong: 83.650, 3. Joscelyn Roberson: 82.850, 4. Ashlee Sullivan: 81.000, 5. Dulcy Caylor: 80.900
Rotation Three:
After swapping standings in rotation on and two, Wong and Rivera would go to beam, often the difference maker in the most significant moments.
Rivera was up first, looking to go two-for-two on beam at this week’s championships. Though she nearly came off the beam on a simpler skill, the 17-year-old nailed her acrobatic series and stuck her dismount for a huge 14.000.
Now on vault, Roberson would need to compete her difficult Cheng skill if she hoped to stay in contention for the all-around title.
However, after tweaking her ankles on her floor exercise landings, Roberson opted to compete her simpler Yurchenko vault with a sting mat, incurring an automatic five-tenth deduction for using the extra mat. Her score, a 13.050, would likely put her out of the all-around race but still firmly in contention for bronze.
Wong would go last up on beam, needing a huge 14.150 to match Rivera heading into the final rotation. Though the score would be unlikely for Wong due to her lower difficulty value, she delivered a reliable hit, sticking her full-twisting Gainer dismount for a 13.950 – a two-tenth increase from night one.
Both Rivera and Wong were peaking at the right time. Heading into floor, Rivera’s lead stood at just two-tenths – a razor-thin margin in women’s gymnastics.
After Three: 1. Hezly Rivera: 97.800, 2. Leanne Wong: 97.600, 3. Joscelyn Roberson: 95.900, 4. Ashlee Sullivan: 94.500, 5. Simone Rose: 94.250
Rotation Four:
Though now out of contention for gold, Roberson nailed her bars dismount for the second day in a row, powering through ankle pain to secure the bronze medal – her first podium finish at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.
For the National All-Around title, it would all come down to floor. Wong would go first, Rivera second. With a beaming smile to open her exercise, Wong stuck her opening pass, delivering her eighth hit routine of the weekend. With a 13.600 for Wong, Rivera would need a 13.400 to snatch the U.S. National title from her veteran teammate.
If Rivera can land cleanly and stay in bounds, the national title would be hers. With it all on the line, Rivera rebounded out of nearly all four passes, but above all, she managed to stay in bounds. The judges rewarded Rivera with the highest score of the weekend, a 14.200.
After Four: 1. Hezly Rivera: 112.000, 2. Leanne Wong: 111.200, 3. Joscelyn Roberson: 109.600, 4. Ashlee Sullivan: 107.950, 5. Simone Rose: 107.900
The 2025 Senior Women’s National Team was announced later Sunday evening.
The following athletes were named to the team: Skye Blakely, Dulcy Caylor, Jayla Hang, Gabrielle Hardie, Claire Pease, Hezly Rivera, Joscelyn Roberson, Simone Rose, Ashlee Sullivan, Tiana Sumanasekera, and Leanne Wong.
Next Up For The U.S. Women’s Team
The 2025 Senior World Championships will be held from October 19 to 25 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The U.S. women’s team – comprised of up to four athletes – will be determined at the World Championships Selection Camp, which is scheduled for September 29 to October 2.