(NEXSTAR) – Daniela Moroz is projected to win the first gold medal for the U.S. in sailing since 2008 at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer. She said her parents who escaped Czechoslovakia to come to the U.S. are her biggest inspiration.
“I think for them to be able to leave their lives and come to a new country that they didn’t speak the language of and start completely new lives and start from zero that’s really inspiring,” Moroz said.
Moroz, who is from Lafayette, California, won her first World Championship at 15. The now 23-year-old hopes to bring home an Olympic medal. She will compete in “Formula Kite,” a new sailing discipline, debuting at the Paris Games.
“I grew up watching the Olympics, and I grew up doing a ton of different sports. I always wanted to be a professional athlete,” Moroz said.
Moroz is a six-time consecutive World Champion.
