That maturity has also translated into leadership, both through example and by speaking up.
“She survived the gauntlet,” Sacramone Quinn said. “Now, it’s about doing it another time around and building herself up to be the leader… she works hard, leads by example, and she’s a good vocal leader, too.”
Roberson is working through her own changes.
After being an alternate to the US team in Paris, the 19-year-old took a star turn in her freshman campaign at the University of Arkansas where she qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual.
Her experience as part of last year’s Olympic team, coupled with her 2023 World Championships appearance, means she’s gone from newcomer to one of the most seasoned names in the field in less than two years.
“I feel really old,” Roberson joked. “I never thought I’d feel old, but it’s because I was teammates with Simone [Biles] and Jordan [Chiles]. They were the big kids, and I was just trying to make it. Now, it’s like, I feel like everybody’s looking at me and waiting on me.”
She’s embracing that position.
“Being a role model is so important to me,” she said. “[The Olympic veterans] passed that torch to me… so it’s really important for me to pass the torch to the younger kids and make sure they feel like I know who they are and care about them – because I do.”
Roberson has been working her way back into elite shape since the NCAA season ended in mid-April. As she got back into two-a-day workouts, the Arkansas Razorback said she was sore for three weeks straight.
Ahead of Classic, she says she feels ready to do the routines she’ll use Saturday evening but is eyeing upgrades – a Cheng vault and harder floor exercise tumbling – for August’s U.S. Championships. Roberson says she’s “80-85%” back to where she hopes to be by October’s World Championships.
Rivera, for her part, is focused only on being normal.
“I just come here to do gymnastics,” she said. “Everything else will follow.”