With dazzling routines and flawless dismounts, the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Team stuck the landing and secured the gold medal at the Olympic Team Final. After getting off to a rocky start with Jade Carey battling an illness, Simone Biles nursing a calf injury, and Hezly Rivera scoring the lowest on the team, the team finished with 171.296 points, almost six points more than the silver medalists, Italy. But many fans were surprised to not see Rivera and Carey competing during the finals.
Rather than focusing on their performances and personal disappointment, Rivera and Carey were constantly smiling and cheering for their teammates. The team’s overall performance despite changes in the lineup shows us the importance of prioritizing team success over individual performance. As athletes, sometimes we have to put our team’s needs before our own, and adapt to the new challenges that may come at any given moment.
Contributing to Success Off the Mat
Rivera made her Olympic debut this year at just 16 years old, making her the youngest athlete to compete for all of Team USA. Being this young and competing at the highest level comes with a lot of pressure and stress, both internally and externally. There is no doubt that Rivera is an incredibly talented athlete, but after qualifications, the team decided to use Rivera as a stand-by athlete to ensure the team’s best chance at success during the finals.
Even though she didn’t have the chance to compete in the team finals, Rivera understood the importance of her role on the sidelines. “This was just an amazing experience, you know, and just being with the team and supporting them meant the world to me,” Rivera told reporters after the event. “I was just everywhere, my mind was everywhere. But I’m so happy to be here and this team has worked so hard, so I’m so proud of each and every one of us."
Rivera will also not be competing in any individual event finals for the remainder of the Olympics, but this is not the last time we will see Rivera on the Olympic stage. Her overall performance in bars helped the team to move on to finals where they eventually won gold. And, in her own words, Rivera is “still a part of this team” for the rest of the games. Even without competing, Rivera was on the sidelines offering immense support and encouragement to her teammates, highlighting the importance of recognizing when to step back for the greater good of the team.
“I was just everywhere, my mind was everywhere. But I’m so happy to be here and this team has worked so hard, so I’m so proud of each and every one of us.”
Every Routine Matters
Along with Rivera, Carey also sat out for the majority of the team finals, only performing in the vault. After a challenging performance during qualifiers, Carey revealed that she had been battling illness during her time at the Olympics. Not wanting to let her team down, she continued to fight through it, but ultimately decided not to compete in a majority of the events in the finals. Carey reflected on her performance on social media during the qualifying rounds, saying that she “gave it everything [she] had.”
But Carey still had a job to do on the vault. “I was just telling myself to be my normal self that I am every day in the gym, that I've done so much work and that I knew how to do it and it would all be over in 10 seconds," she told Today. Despite the pressure to perform well in one event, Carey “knew that if I was just my normal self that it would get the job done for what the team needed.” Carey’s decision to prioritize the team over her individual aspirations and focus on what she could contribute with her one event is another testament to this team’s spirit and dedication to one another.
The Power of Putting the Team First
Both Rivera and Carey exemplify how athletes contribute to the overall success of the team, even when they are not competing. Supporting your teammates from the sidelines rather than thinking of your own ambitions takes a lot of mental strength and selflessness, but it can be the difference maker in helping your team win it all.
We can take Rivera and Carey’s off-court contributions as a lesson of the importance of team unity and navigating personal challenges in a high-stakes environment. By putting the team’s needs above their own, Rivera and Carey played a crucial role in the success of Team USA. They are gold medalists, and these experiences will prepare them to return to the Olympic stage stronger than ever.
