Paralympian aims to inspire next generation of athletes: "There's a place for them"
Para nordic skier Dani Aravich has always loved sports, but never thought there was a place for her to compete longterm "because I was always competing against people who didn't have disabilities," she said.
Born without a left hand and forearm, she never let it define her limits.
The 29-year-old is now set to compete in her second Winter Paralympics and is advocating for the next generation of athletes.
As a kid, Aravich tried nearly every sport and became one of the fastest runners on her high school cross country team before she went on to compete in college. When she was 24, a friend suggested the Paralympics – something she never considered for herself.
"I didn't know enough about the Paralympics to know there was a place for someone like me in it," she explained.
In 2020, Aravich quit her fulltime job with the Utah Jazz basketball team and qualified soon after for the Tokyo Paralympics on Team USA's track and field team in 2021 where she finished 10th in the 400-meter sprint.
The experience changed how she views herself.
"Growing up, I didn't know anyone else really with a physical disability for most of my childhood and … it's been the most eye-opening experience in my life getting to compete in this," Aravich said. "It's the most beautiful space and the most beautiful people that I've ever met."
Given her endurance background, Aravich was invited to enroll in a ski camp to give cross country skiing and biathlon a shot – despite never having stepped on nordic skis before.
"I never felt something so hard aerobically in my life – like getting to a point in a race or in a training session where you're so uncomfortable that it's almost addictive to get back to," she said.
Aravich's training eventually led her to qualifying for the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing where she became one of the few athletes to compete at both the Summer and Winter Paralympics.
Advocacy for parasports
Her Paralympic experience propelled her on a journey of advocacy to amplify parasports in mainstream culture through social media and her media collective, Culxtured.
"I have no idea if I'll ever win a medal," Aravich said. "I don't know what's gonna happen at the Paralympics, this Games or the next cycle."
But what she said she can control is "how much I push the Paralympics in every conversation I have."
"What really matters is making sure the next kid with a disability sees that there's a place for them in parasport."
Nicknamed the "Biathlon bandit" for her western roots and her rapid rise in the sport, Aravich has found her place. As she competes in the Paralympics for the third time, her definition of victory looks a little different.
"However I do on the field of play, that is what it is. But if more people tune into the Paralympics than ever, then we're doing something right," she said. "That's the win."
