Her U.S. Classic to U.S. Championships process has been out in the open.
But Rivera has also made changes behind the scenes, one of the most notable coming on the vault.
After struggling with keeping her head in while she twisted – something that can make a gymnast get “caught up” in the air and stop spinning – Rivera took a unique step back, opting to train Yurchenko one-and-a-halves instead of her typical double twist.
Because of the different amount of rotation required for the two vaults (the one-and-a-half requires more because of its forward landing), gymnasts who compete double twists often only train full-twisting variations, not the one-and-a-half.
But for Rivera, something clicked.
“I know it sounds kind of crazy, but it helps my mind a lot,” she said. “I wasn’t blocking really, it was kind of mental. But right when I started going through the one-and-a-half, I kind of flipped the switch.”
Her turn in Paris has flipped another switch: her confidence level.
Rivera says even just watching Biles, Lee, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey in practice taught her important lessons.
“I still talk to them, and they give me really good advice,” she says of her Paris teammates. “They just tell me to do myself, do what I do in the gym and believe in myself.
“The way that they practised helped me, too,” Rivera continued. “They look so confident, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I know I’m gonna hit,’ so it kind of gave me that confidence as well. It’s really been helping me this year.”
Her journey is far from over – even this year, as she prepares for October’s World Championships in Jakarta. But one thing’s for sure: Rivera’s faith and belief in her process will continue to carry her forward as she leads Team USA into the future.