Hezly Rivera walked into the Target Center for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials virtually unknown outside of gymnastics circles. 

This year marked the first time that Rivera was age-eligible to compete at the senior elite level. She joined the ranks as the 2023 U.S. all-around junior national champion, but still described herself as the “underdog” coming into the competition. 

Out of a field of seasoned competitors, only five athletes would be selected for the Paris Olympic Team. It was a daunting challenge, but Rivera embraced the competition with a fearless attitude, feeling she had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

After two days of intense competition, Rivera transformed from underdog to Olympian. At just 16-years-old, she became the youngest athlete to represent Team USA in any sport at the Games. As expected of a rising star, her social media following has surged dramatically. Before the Trials, Rivera had approximately 10,000 followers on Instagram; now, she has surpassed 100,000 as the Games draw near.

Behind the scenes, the team at SMITH&SAINT, a female-led boutique talent and brand-building agency, found themselves managing a flurry of media requests and brand deal opportunities for the burgeoning star. 

Luckily, this isn’t their first rodeo. 

Three years ago, the SMITH&SAINT team guided two newly-minted Olympic gold medalists – Jade Carey and Suni Lee – through the whirlwind of post-Games opportunities.

The company was founded by sisters Madison Smith and Britt St. George, who both knew from a young age that they wanted to be sports agents one day. Both sisters went to law school and eventually began working in the Boston area as consultants in the influencer space. 

That’s when they met 2008 Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin, who happened to be looking for new representation. 

In 2018, the duo launched SMITH&SAINT, with Liukin as their first client. 

“A lot of things came together really nicely, and with an Olympic gymnast as our first client in that space, it really started a great path for us to represent a lot of other amazing individuals and athletes and influencers,” said Britt St. George, Co-Founder/CEO of SMITH&SAINT.

SMITH&SAINT will represent five Olympians competing in Paris: Olympic medal-winning fencing couple Gerek Meinhardt and Lee Kiefer, along with three of the five members of the women’s gymnastics team.

Carey signed with SMITH&SAINT leading up to the Tokyo Games, while Lee signed shortly after winning the all-around gold medal and being thrust into the spotlight. SMITH&SAINT saw star potential in Rivera and added her to their roster in early 2023. 

“We’re always looking out for talent who we think shines on and off the floor,” St. George said. “We spotted Hezly a while back. Over a year ago we started working with her and her family and we just knew that she had something special … She just had a spark in her that we knew was going to materialize in some way.”

While that spark ignited sooner than many anticipated, the team at SMITH&SAINT was fully prepared and began priming Rivera – and her family – for the spotlight that accompanies her new status as an Olympic gymnast.

“Right away we set her up with her incredible publicist at align Public Relations who we’ve been working with for years and have an amazing relationship with, just to kind of get her prepared for the media coming at her,” said Madison Smith, Co-Founder/COO of SMITH&SAINT. “But she is so incredible. She’s 16-years-old and so well spoken; so mature and has handled this so well … She knows everyone is watching her. She’s already aware like, ‘Wow my life really did just change overnight,’ but she has remained true to herself and we’re all there supporting her and helping her throughout the way.”

SMITH&SAINT uses a “360-degree approach” to help their clients build a well-rounded business. This involves strategizing sessions to define their long-term goals and interests beyond the sport, laying the groundwork for sustained success.

At 16, Rivera is somewhat of a blank slate. 

“I think with Hezly being so young and her future so bright, we want to make sure she is capitalizing on every opportunity that is presented to her in a really sustainable way and also just pursuing her passions, too.” Smith said. “It’s important to find passions on and off the mat to have a long and prosperous career.”

St. George emphasized that athletes rely not only on the expertise of the SMITH&SAINT team but also on their extensive connections, guiding them toward any path they choose to pursue.

“Whether it's as an influencer business or they want to launch a company with a product, or they want to become a motivational speaker, or a commentator for a network – we can help them achieve those goals,” St. George said. “But we absolutely listen to every single athlete and want to make sure we are pulling out those passions from them because ultimately that’s what's going to lead to happiness.” 

The time before, during and after the Paris Games will be formative for Rivera’s career, but for Lee and Carey, Paris could catapult their careers to new heights.

Both saw their fame skyrocket following the Tokyo Olympics where Lee won three medals — one of each color — and Carey won a gold medal on floor. Their brand evolved throughout their careers as collegiate athletes. In past Olympic cycles, NCAA rules prohibited athletes from accepting endorsement deals or profiting off their success. Everything changed in July 2021 when a unanimous Supreme Court decision led to an NCAA rule change that allowed athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. 

This was a major development for Carey and Lee, who were fresh off the Games and about to head to college. Lee spent two years at Auburn University, where she made history as the first Olympic all-around champion to compete in collegiate gymnastics. Carey headed to Oregon State University, where she wrapped up her junior season in April 2024. 

“Suni and Jade were in a very fortunate position in that they were coming into college riding the high of being on the world stage and having so much notoriety,” St. George said. “They were able to really take advantage of all those NIL changes, which has been fantastic for them but also athletes in general, especially female athletes. 

"Oftentimes there is not a professional league for women to go on to after college, so they put in all that hard work and they're not signing a lucrative players contract at the end of four years, it's sort of over. But with NIL changes, they can skyrocket their career while they are in college. Their friends are doing internships or whatnot and they’re really building their business while they are a freshman or sophomore in college, which is really cool.” 

These days, athletes like Lee are sought after by major brands — the kind of brands that feel like a pipe dream to work with. Lee is a lifelong fan of Kim Kardashian’s apparel brand Skims – “If you see her out and about, she’s probably in a Skims t-shirt,” St. George said – so when the brand partnered with Team USA and tapped Lee for the project, it felt like the perfect fit. 

“You have those really special shoots where you walk in and just feel incredible synergy,” said Kaila McWilliams, CMO of SMITH&SAINT, who accompanied Lee to the shoot. “The athletes were stacked back-to-back and she was right after Gabby Thomas, so she was able to meet her for the first time and have a really fun exchange of energy … It was all very confidential, so it was very funny to take a car there, not really be able to share anything that we were doing, and then celebrate with dinner after and be so excited that she was able to work with one of her dream brand partners.” 

SMITH&SAINT has played a crucial role in helping Carey strike a balance between her demanding schedule as a college student-athlete and her commitments at the elite level of competition. They approach the business side of things with careful strategy and mindfulness.

“For us it’s maybe not the volume of deals – but ensuring that things are an incredible fit and (products) they authentically, organically use and love … So we’re really able to capitalize on such a small amount of hours to work on the business side,” McWilliams said. “We go under the lens of, ‘They are athletes.’ This is a very important time of their lives and we always put training at the forefront and make sure we’re able to build around that versus having any sort of interference.”

As much as SMITH&SAINT prioritizes the athletes' school and training schedules, they also place a high priority on their emotional well-being, particularly as they prepare for one of the most high-stakes competitions of their careers.

Regardless of the outcome, athletes will sometimes experience the post-Olympic blues – an emotional crash following years of intense training to peak – physically and mentally – for one moment. SMITH&SAINT plays a crucial role in supporting their athletes through these emotional ups and downs in the aftermath of the Games.

Lee is one of the athletes who has openly discussed the challenges that accompany Olympic glory, particularly grappling with imposter syndrome.

“Of course, in the back of my head I’m like, ‘Oh, you didn't deserve to win,” Lee said during the Team USA Media Summit. “And I told myself that so much because of the circumstances … I see that (comment) every single day. And I see people comparing me to other athletes every single day. And that's part of the reason why I stay off social media because I'm like, ‘In my head, I already don't think that I should have won.’ So when you see it from other people and that many people are saying the same thing over and over … it's very hard mentally.”

Two-time Olympic shot put gold medalist Ryan Crouser said that despite his gold-medal moments, he went through a “massive dopamine withdrawal” following the Olympics. 

“It's actually tough mentally whether you win or you don’t,” St. George said. “You’re chasing a dopamine high if you won, or you’re sort of back to square one if you came out with no medals, so understanding the unique situation and sort of preparing our athletes to be in a space where they can nurture and take care of their mental health is really important to us.” 

Soon, Rivera, Carey, and Lee will take center stage under the bright lights of Bercy Arena. 

And you can bet St. George, Smith and McWilliams plan to be there to support them every step of the way.

“It’s a really exciting time for women’s sports but sports in general,” St. George said. “It unites the world in a way that no other thing can, so we love to be in this space.”