5'3"
29
Boise, ID
Butler University
Classification: LW9
Danielle "Dani" Aravich was born and raised in Boise, Idaho, without her left hand and forearm. Aravich competed in many sports growing up, like soccer, softball, and track, before heading to Indianapolis to attend Butler University as a member of the cross-country and track team. After her freshman year, dealing with persistent knee injuries, she shifted her attention to academics.
After graduating with a degree in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Aravich went to work in professional sports, starting with the Utah Jazz, when, in late 2018, she was told about the Paralympics from a family friend. Through her training in track and field, she was asked to attend a development camp for US Para Nordic Skiing in late 2019.
Aravich made her Paralympic debut at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 in the women’s T47 400m. Just over six months later, she would represent Team USA at the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 in biathlon and cross-country skiing.
Aravich is nicknamed “Biathlon Bandit,” a nickname bestowed upon her by her biathlon coach. The name encompasses her newfound love of biathlon but also incorporates her Western U.S. roots. Aravich wears cowboy boots to every race and has a Team USA cowboy hat made for the Winter Paralympics. Dani was a part of the bid process and helped in getting the Olympics and Paralympics back to Salt Lake City for 2034.
It’s not just about inclusion. It’s also about recognition, equality, and acceptance.According to the United Nations General Assembly, approximately 1.6 billion people live with a substantial disability worldwide. That represents roughly 16% of the wor...
...
Dani Aravich reveals a fact about dual-sport athletes.
Dani Aravich competes in the women's 400-meter T47 heat 1 at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. Video supplied by the I...
Dani Aravich discusses her interests outside of sport.
I love that I still have so much to learn about my sport. I only stepped on Nordic skis in 2019. Knowing I have so much untapped potential is exciting (and frustrating). I hate when I cannot feel my fingertips or toes in extremely cold weather while racing.
Jason Brown from Olympic figure skating! He is the nicest, spunkiest human I have ever met!
Watching Oksana Masters become the most decorated winter Olympian or Paralympian for Team USA during the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Jake Adicoff was a high school senior when he attended his first Paralympic Winter Games in 2014. In the mountains above Sochi, Russia, he came close to winning medals, finishing sixth in the men’s 20-kilometer freestyle race in the visually impaired c...
On any given day, you might find Sydney Peterson gliding across a snowy mountain trail before the sun comes up — and then peering under a microscope by midmorning. Equal parts endurance athlete and budding neuroscientist, she somehow balances elite-lev...
ST. DENIS, France — Manifestation works.Before first-time Paralympian Noelle Malkamaki stepped foot into the shot put ring at Stade de France, she already held the world record in the women’s shot put F46. However, that wasn’t good enough for the Decat...
PARIS – America’s youngest and most exciting Para track and field stars, Ezra Frech and Jaydin Blackwell, thrilled with scintillating performances, both winning their second gold medals of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.Youth was served on a record-br...
It was showtime under the lights for Jaydin Blackwell as he rocketed to the men's 100-meter T38 gold, breaking his own world record clocking 10.64 seconds. Daniel Romanchuk was less flashy than his younger U.S. teammate, but he also accelerated into hi...
