Dani Aravich

Dani Aravich is a summer and winter Paralympian, competing in track and field, biathlon and Nordic skiing events.

Born without her left hand and forearm, Aravich was encouraged by her parents to get involved in athletics at an early age, first in soccer, then distance running. Aravich caught the attention of several collegiate programs, and was a Division I cross-country and track and field athlete during her first year at Butler University. Struggling with knee issues, she chose to focus on her studies and leave the team for the remainder of her undergraduate career. While working for the Utah Jazz after graduation, she was approached by a family friend who suggested training for the Paralympics. She decided to give it a shot and shortly after entering a few track & field races, decided to pursue her new Paralympic dream full-time.

Aravich made her Paralympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games in track and field, representing the U.S. in the 400m T47. Six months later, she competed in Nordic skiing at her first Winter Games in Beijing, where she twice placed in the top-ten. Aravich and her teammates would go on to earn gold at the 2023 World Para Nordic Championships in the mixed relay. She is on the US Paralympic Nordic National team, and has her sights focused on Milan 2026.

In addition to training, Aravich works as an account executive at Parity, an organization focused on closing the gender pay gap for professional women athletes, and as a social media coordinator for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, focused on athlete storytelling. Passionate about accessibility, Aravich earned a graduate certificate in Disability Inclusion & Accessible Design from the University of Michigan. A new devotee to trail running, she hopes to use her voice to make trail races inclusive for people with disabilities, and she is an advisor for the Adaptive Athlete Policy for UTMB.