The 2024 Paris Olympics are just hours away, and Team USA has two exciting new faces to watch: Quincy Wilson and Hezly Rivera.
At just 16 years old, the young athletes are set to make their Olympic debut as the youngest members of their team.
USA Gymnastics, the governing body of the sport in the United States, shared a photo op of the dynamic duo on Instagram, captioning the post, “The two youngest @teamusa Olympians showing up BIG for their country.”
The official account of Team USA commented in the comments section of the USA Gymnastics post celebrating the teenagers, “The duo we knew we needed @hezrivera @_quincy_wilson.”
Quincy Wilson made history by becoming the youngest-ever men’s track and field athlete to be selected to compete on Team USA.
Wilson told ESPN in an interview that he was “ecstatic” when he got the call that he was headed to Paris.
“When I got the call, I was like, I was ecstatic. I started running around the house. It was just a moment for me because everybody dreams about going to the Olympics as a young kid.” Wilson added, telling the outlet that his goal for the Olympics is to not let his “older brothers” down.
“Now that I’m on the USA team, these guys are like my older brothers. I don’t want to let my older brothers down. And when you’re running for a why and [know what] your why is … you’ll always run faster.”
On the gymnastics front, Hezly Rivera clinched the fifth spot on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team after a standout performance at the June Olympic trials. Rivera will be competing in Paris alongside gymnastics legends Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, and Jade Carey.
In an exclusive interview with People Magazine, Rivera said that, “Just making the team is just such an amazing experience and I’m so happy to be here. And obviously I made the Olympics, so I have to still work very hard to achieve my dreams at the Olympics, which I’m very excited for.”
The 2024 Paris Olympics will kick-off with opening ceremonies today, Friday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m. local time in Paris, 1:30 p.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. Central, 11:30 a.m. Mountain and 10:30 a.m. Pacific.
Photo: USA Gymnastics Instagram, Quincy Wilson Instagram; Hezly Rivera Instagram
