Hezly Rivera, the two-time defending U.S. national gymnastics champion and Olympic gold medalist, has withdrawn from the 2026 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam due to injury. USA Gymnastics announced her medical withdrawal on October 17, just a day before the U.S. women's team was set to compete. Rivera had visibly struggled with a heavily taped left ankle during podium training on October 15, limiting her to modified skills on uneven bars and balance beam and avoiding floor and vault events altogether.

This development is particularly disappointing as Rivera had shown great promise earlier in the year, capturing her first national title and winning five out of six gold medals at the U.S. Championships. Unfortunately, this marks the second consecutive year that injury has sidelined her from the world stage. In 2025, an ankle injury forced her withdrawal from the World Team Selection Event, which ultimately kept her off that year’s World Championship squad, significantly impacting Team USA’s performance.

Replacing Rivera on the five-person World Championships main team will be Dulcy Caylor, who was a member of the 2025 World team and has been traveling as an alternate for Rotterdam. Caylor is expected to contribute particularly on balance beam during the qualifications. Despite Rivera's absence from competition, she plans to stay present with the team throughout the event, supporting her teammates as they pursue the Americans’ goal of an eighth consecutive team title.

Rivera trains at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy in Texas alongside renowned coaches Valeri and Anna Liukin. WOGA has a strong history of producing Olympic champions such as Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, and Madison Kocian. Rivera’s pattern of timing injuries continues to be a major challenge, but she remains optimistic, focusing on recovery and aiming for a strong comeback in the future, even as Team USA presses forward without their national champion.