About Daniela

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, chasing the Olympic dream…

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area to windsurfing parents that brought me along on all their adventures chasing the wind and waves around the world. I learned to love the water early on, along with being outside and competing in many different sports growing up. I learned to kite when I was 11 years old, and started racing locally in the Thursday Night Kite Racing Series out of the St Francis Yacht Club when I was 12. I was hooked on going fast, and learned to ride a hydrofoil soon after. At 14, I competed in my first international event. 

I realized kite racing was more than just a hobby - I wanted to be the best I could be and knew I was capable of being the best in the world. But I didn’t think that would happen so soon. In 2016, at 15 years old, I won my first World Championship. For my performance in the 2016 racing season, I was awarded the US Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year award - the youngest recipient, first female kiteboarder, and second kiteboarder to ever receive this award.

From 2017 through 2019, I juggled high school with an international racing and training schedule, along with being a year-round club swimmer. Not only that, I graduated high school, won every single event I competed in (which includes 4 consecutive World Championships and 3 consecutive European Championships), was awarded a second Rolex by US Sailing for my 2019 racing season results, started college at the University of Hawaii (go Bows!), traveled to about 18 different countries, and survived the insane roller coaster that is the teenage years. By this time, the sport was officially in the Olympics, and a new goal of mine was to qualify and compete for a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games.

Fast forward to 2022, I decided to take a leave of absence from my studies at the University of Hawaii to chase my Olympic dream full time. Without school to worry about, I devoted all of my time and energy to making the most professional campaign possible and doing everything I can to qualify for the Olympics and be competing for a medal at the Games. Throughout this time, I got some incredible sailing opportunities, such as joining the US SailGP Team, developing my foiling skills through moth sailing, and getting to sail other high performance foiling boats like GC32’s and 69F’s. Along the way, I’ve gone on to win my 5th and 6th consecutive world championships, and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games, establishing myself as a gold medal favorite.

Although I am proud of my achievements, I am more proud of how I’ve grown as an athlete, student, and person. I am extremely grateful for everything I have gotten to experience and see, and for the many incredible opportunities I have been presented with along the way. It’s easy to talk about what I’ve done and say I’m thankful, but I truly see more value in how my experiences have shaped me as a person than the awards and titles that can be listed with my name. That, of course, is not to say I take those achievements lightly - I have worked very hard to perform at this level. But I also remember the individual moments, people, places, and experiences that have contributed to my journey. I always tell myself to live in the moment.

Now, my biggest goal is to compete for a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where kiteboarding will make its Olympic debut. It won’t be easy, but I am ready for the challenge, and I can’t wait to experience everything that will happen along the way.

Living in the moment, chasing the dream.

Career Highlights

6x Formula Kite World Champion (2016-2022)

4x Open European Champion (2017-2021)

4x US Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year (2016, 2019, 2021, 2022)

2x Rolex World Sailor of the Year Finalist (2018, 2021)

The goal is GOLD

#FullPowertoParis