Photo Gallery! Hezly Rivera Defends U.S. All-Around Title

Rivera Goes Back To Back

2024 Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera defended her National All-Around title Sunday afternoon in Phoenix at the 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships, further cementing her status as the one to beat among the U.S. senior women at the halfway point to LA28.

Sitting in fourth place after day 1, Rivera rallied on every event and left no doubt who was champion, her confidence and determination on full display. Rivera also captured gold on balance beam (28.700), silver on floor exercise (28.300) and posted the highest single-vault score of the evening with a 14.400! 

“You can’t really do this without a strong mentality,” Rivera told the media. “So I think this is a really good set-up for World Championships, you don’t just compete one day. You have to find the balance of rest and recovery, but still keeping up with your routines.”

2026 Pan American Championships All-Around Champion Claire Pease won All-Around silver with a 110.800, also winning the uneven bars title (28.550) and a silver medal on vault (28.075). Charleigh Bullock won All-Around bronze with a 110.550 and added also a bronze on bars with a 28.350. Bullock especially shines on bars and has had a strong senior debut across the board in 2026.

Also winning national titles were 2026 U.S. Classic All-Around Champion Reese Esponda, who took the floor title with a 28.900 and finished fourth all-around (108.900), and two-time Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey who won vault gold (28.500) on her way to fifth place in the All-Around (108.750). (See part of our interview with Carey below!) Both women excel on vault and floor and could prove to be an incredibly strong duo for Team USA this fall in Rotterdam at the 2026 World Championships should they be named to the team.

Bullock was announced as both the Athlete of the Year and Sportsperson of the Year at the conclusion of the competition.

Notable: As the top two finishers in All-Around competition, WOGA teammates Rivera and Pease earned automatic invitations to the 2026 World Selection Event later this fall. Athletes invited to the World Selection Event will compete for a spot on the 2026 World Championships Team Presented by Xfinity, with the championships slated for October 17-25 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Additional athletes will later be invited.

See @InsideGym and Inside Gymnastics Magazine on YouTube for more interviews from Phoenix!

Check out our first Photo Gallery from Phoenix and stay tuned for more throughout the week!

All photos captured the amazing Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics.