Hezly Rivera clawed back from fourth place to defend her all-around crown at the 2026 US Gymnastics Championships in Phoenix on Sunday. The Olympic gold medalist closed with 111.950 points to repeat as national champion.
Hezly Rivera Stages Stunning Comeback in Phoenix
Rivera trailed by more than a point after Day 1, dropped there by an early slip on uneven bars.
She flipped the meet in the final rotations, anchored by a balance beam gold at 28.700. Her 14.400 vault stood as the highest single-vault mark of the night. A 28.300 on floor exercise sealed silver on that apparatus and lifted her past the field.
The 17-year-old is just the second American woman in 13 years to repeat as senior all-around champion, after Simone Biles.
Rivera's Road to the 2026 World Championships
World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) teammate Claire Pease took all-around silver with 110.800 and won the uneven bars title. Charleigh Bullock earned bronze with a steady 110.550. Reese Esponda claimed the floor crown, and Olympic champion Jade Carey won vault gold.
Rivera and Pease earned automatic invites to the 2026 World Selection Event this fall. That meet sets the roster for the World Championships in Rotterdam from October 17-25.
