Quick Facts about Danell Leyva
| Full name | Danell Johan Leyva |
| Popular as | Danell Leyva |
| Birthdate | October 30, 1991 |
| Birthplace | Matanzas, Cuba |
| Nationality | Cuban-American |
| Horoscope | Libra |
| Age | 30 years old |
| Father’s name | Johann Leyva |
| Mother’s name | Maria Gonzalez |
| Sibling | An elder sister |
| Sister’s Name | Dayan is Mesa |
| Step Father | Yin Alvarez |
| Residence | Miami, Florida |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
| Relationship Status | Not Known |
| Sexuality | Bisexual and Pansexual |
| Height | 5’7″ (170 cm) |
| Weight | Not Known |
| Body type | Athletic |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Profession | Gymnast |
| Discipline | Men’s artistic gymnastics |
| Level | InternationalEelite |
| Club | Universal Gymnastics |
| Coach | Yin Alvarez (stepfather) |
| National Team | American |
| Years on National Team | 2004-2016 |
| Participation in Olympics |
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| Medals and Achievement in Olympics |
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| Participation in World Championship |
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| Medals and Achievements in World Championship |
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| Participation in Pacific Rim Championships |
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| Medals and Accomplishments in Pacific Rim Championship |
Junior Division
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| Other Appearances |
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| Other Medals and Achievements |
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| Net Worth | $1 Million |
| Social media Handles |
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| Merch | Poster, Tokyo Olympics 2021 |
| Last Update | July, 2022 |
Danell Leyva is a former gymnast. He is a Cuban-American who competed for the United States in the Olympics and other gymnastics championships.
Likewise, Leyva is much more than an ordinary gymnast. The excellence in movements that he demonstrated all his career combined with all the feats that he has achieved makes him a fantastic athlete.
Moreover, Leyva won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics for men’s artistic individual all-around.
Similarly, he won a silver medal in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro men’s parallel bars competition. Danell also won another silver medal at the 2016 Olympics for the men’s horizontal bars competition.
Furthermore, Leyva has his own signature move known as “jam-dislocate-hop to under grips” on the horizontal bar. He is also a specialist in parallel bars of gymnastics.
This article intends to unfold all the beautiful stories from Leyva’s personal and professional life. Make sure to read till the end!
Danell Leyva’s Childhood and Family
Gymnast Danell Leyva was born on October 30, 1991, in Matanzas, Cuba. Johann Leyva and Maria Gonzalez were his parents.
Leyva also has an older sister, Dayanis Mesa Forero, who is a television host. Similarly, Leyva’s biological parents divorced when he was a child. His biological father lives in Spain, and the rest of his family lives in Miami, Florida.
Danell also speaks frequently on the phone with his biological father. He is very close to his biological father.
Similarly, he adores and cherishes his stepfather.
The Early Years of Danell Leyva
Leyva is originally from Cuba, where children are typically chosen for sports academics. When we see Leyva today, we immediately assume that he was one of those Cuban kids who won medals in every sport imaginable.
Leyva, on the other hand, had a different experience. He was an asthmatic, chubby toddler who was passed over for sports.
Maria Gonzalez arrived in the United States with her two children after traveling through Peru and Venezuela. Leyva’s grandparents were already in the United States at the time.
Maria was also a gymnast in the past. In the United States, she married her childhood friend and fellow former gymnast Yin Alvarez.
The National Gymnastics Team of Cuba
Both Maria and Yin competed for Cuba’s national gymnastics team. They went on to open a gym in Miami. Maria and Yin have both had a significant impact on Leyva’s life, particularly the gymnastics aspect. Yin, in fact, professionally coached Leyva and prepared him for the championships.
Leyva once stated that his parents taught him the value of money and everything else in life. He went on to say that he had the best childhood anyone could hope for.
Dreams, ambitions, and hard work
Leyva has a big imagination. Everyone knows about his gymnastics dream, but not everyone knows about his passions for acting, music, and literature.
Like any other gymnast, he hoped to win Olympic gold as well as Emmy, Grammy, and Tony awards. It’s inspiring to see someone dreaming so big and pursuing each of their goals.
Similarly, Danell Leyva is now a well-known and successful gymnast who also dabbles in acting, media, and business.
Leyva began taking acting classes after the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Sports Contribution
Within 1-1.5 years, he had filmed two television commercials, appeared in a Nickelodeon show, and served as a choreography consultant for the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Similarly, he purchased Parallel Entertainment, a production company. In 2019, he was also spotted competing in the sports entertainment competition ‘American Ninja Warrior.’
The second half of his career has only just begun. We wish Leyva the best of luck. And to our readers, never give up on your big dreams.
Junior Career of Danell Leyva
Leyva competed in the Winter Cup for the first time in 2006. He then competed in the junior division of the US National Championships. He received gold medals in the floor exercise, horizontal bar, and artistic all-around events.
Leyva also competed in the 2008 Junior National Championships. He took first place in the artistic all-around, parallel bars, high bars, and pommel horse events.
He also won the horizontal bar at the 2008 Pan American Gymnastics Championships in Argentina. Leyva was then chosen for the Pacific Rim Championships team in 2008. Following that, he competed for the United States team in San Jose, California, where they won gold as a team.
In the junior division finals, he also won the gold medal in the artistic all-around and the bronze medal on parallel bars.
Danell Leyva is a senior gymnast.
In 2009, Leyva became the youngest member of the US senior national team. He was only 19 at the time. Similarly, at the National Championships, Danell won a gold medal on the horizontal bar and a silver medal on the parallel bar.
Leyva was then chosen as one of four American male gymnasts to compete in the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London. Leyva qualified for the horizontal bar final and finished fourth.
Furthermore, the young gymnasts were chosen for the men’s team at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne. At the competition, Leyva won individual titles on the horizontal and parallel bars. Similarly, he took bronze in still rings.
Levya was also qualified for the all-around and pommel horse finals. He finished seventh in both events.
Similarly, he competed in the 2010 US National Championships, winning gold on the parallel bars. He also won a silver medal in the artistic men’s all-around competition.
Leyva was then chosen to compete in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in 2010. The team made it to the finals but did not win any medals.
Later than 2011
Leyva competed in the 2011 United States National Championships. There, he also won his first all-around US National Championship. He also won titles in the parallel and horizontal bars.
Similarly, he was chosen as one of the anchors for the US team at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo. The US team took third place.
Leyva also won several medals at the Winter Cup. He went on to win the American Cup in New York City.
Olympics – Danell Leyva
Leyva placed first in the Olympic Trials in San Jose. He also had points from the Visa Championships and two long days of Trials.
And He was then named to the US Olympic Team alongside Orozco. He was, however, chosen as an alternate.
Similarly, Danell won a bronze medal in men’s artistic individual all-around at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He had a total of 90.698 points.
Leyva was then chosen as an alternate for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. When Orozco was injured, he was able to join the team.
Leyva also won two medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. There, he won two silver medals: men’s parallel bars (15.900 points) and men’s horizontal bars (15.500 points).
Danell Leyva’s Coming Out Story
Leyva is a member of the LGBTQ community. He proudly announced it on Twitter on October 12, 2020. He is bisexual as well as pansexual.
Furthermore, Danell stated in an interview that he was always aware of it but rejected the feeling internally due to the way children are typically raised. It was also difficult for him because he came from a Hispanic family. Furthermore, the stereotyping that occurs in his sport made things even more difficult for him.
Things became easier for him once he began to accept himself, and he realized how normal it was. We have quoted Leyva’s beautiful statement:
“I hope to live in a world where your sexual orientation is as irrelevant as whether you’re right or left-handed.” It’s such a non-issue, you know. If you’re just like, ‘Oh, you’re left-handed?’ it literally means nothing. That’s fine. Oh, you’re bisexual? That’s fine.”
Danell Leyva – Girlfriends and Relationships
The current relationship status of Danell Leyva is unknown. He did, however, date Giulianna Pino for a few years. Pino is a gymnast from Florida as well. Unfortunately, the couple divorced in April 2020.
Danell Leyva’s Salary and Sponsorships
Leyva rose to prominence not only through gymnastics but also through media appearances. Similarly, he leads a fairly comfortable life in his Miami home.
Danell has an estimated net worth of $2.5 million. Danell also earns a decent living from his sponsorships. In 2013, he signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Adidas Gymnastics.
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Danell Leyva – Online Presence
Leyva is very active on his social media accounts. You can follow him using the following links:
Common Queries about Danell Leyva
Is Danell Leyva married?
No, Danell Leyva is not married. Moreover, his relationship status is also not known as of August 2021.
When did Danell Leyva retire?
Danell Leyva retired in 2016. He is now working in the creative field and media industry.
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