Danell Leyva Bio: Gymnastics, Olympics & Family

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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.

danell-leyva
Danell Leyva

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!

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 32 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
  • 2012 London
  • 2016 Rio de Janeiro
Medals and Achievement in Olympics
  • Bronze medalist at the 2012 London for men’s artistic individual all-around
  • Silver medalist at 2016 Rio for men’s parallel bars
  • Silver medalist at 2016 Rio for men’s horizontal bars
Participation in World Championship
  • 2011 Tokyo
  • 2014 Nanning
  • 2015 Glasgow
Medals and Achievements in World Championship
  • Gold Medalist at 2011 Tokyo for men’s parallel bars
  • Silver Medalist at 2014 Nanning for men’s parallel bars
  • Silver Medalist at 2015 Glasgow for men’s horizontal bars
Participation in Pacific Rim Championships
  • 2010 Melbourne
  • 2008 California
Medals and Accomplishments in Pacific Rim Championship
  • Gold Medalist at 2010 Melbourne for men’s parallel bars
  • Gold Medalist at 2010 horizontal for men’s parallel bars

Junior Division

  • Gold Medalist at 2008 California for men’s artistic individual all-around
  • Bronze Medalist at 2008 California for men’s parallel bars
Other Appearances
  • 2008 Pan American Gymnastics Championship
  • 2010 US National Gymnastics Championship
Other Medals and Achievements
  • Gold Medalist at 2010 US National for men’s parallel bars
  • Silver Medalist at 2010 US National for men’s horizontal bars
  • Horizontal Bar Champion at 2008 Pan American
Net Worth $1 Million
Social media Handles
Merch  Poster, Tokyo Olympics 2021
Last Update March, 2024

Danell Leyva: Early Life and Family

Danell Leyva, the gymnast, was born on October 30, 1991, in Matanzas, Cuba. He was born to parents Johann Leyva and Maria Gonzalez.

Furthermore, Leyva has an elder sister named Dayanis Mesa Forero, who is working as a television host.

Likewise, Leyva’s biological parents separated when he was small. His biological father lives in Spain, and his family is based in Miami, Florida.

Danell Leyva (first from the right) and his mother, Maria Gonzalez (second from the right)
Danell Leyva (first from the right) and his mother, Maria Gonzalez (second from the right)

Moreover, Danell talks with his biological father on the phone very often. He loves his biological father very much.

Likewise, he is very fond of and loves his stepfather dearly.

You might be interested in reading: 12 Best Gymnasts In The World Right Now! 

The Danell Leyva Early Life Story

Leyva originally hails from Cuba, where children are generally selected for sports academics.

When we see Leyva today, we would certainly assume that he must have been one of those Cuban kids, gathering medals from every sport possible.

However, things were different for Leyva. He was an asthmatic chubby toddler who nobody picked for sports.

Maria Gonzalez came to the United States with her two children via Peru and Venezuela. Leyva’s grandparents were already residing in the States by then.

Moreover, Maria is also a former gymnast. She married her childhood friend and fellow former gymnast Yin Alvarez in the United States.

Cuba’s National Gymnastics Team

Maria and Yin were both members of Cuba’s national gymnastics team. They later opened a gym in Miami.

Both Maria and Yin have a big influence on Leyva’s life, especially the gymnastics part. Yin, in fact, coached Leyva professionally and prepared him for the championships.

Leyva once said that his parents taught him to know the value of a dollar and everything that comes in life.

He further added that he had the best childhood anyone could ask for.

Nadia Comaneci Bio: Early Life, Gymnast, Son & Net Worth >>

Dreams, Aspirations & Hard Work

Leyva is a big time dreamer. His gymnastics dream is known to everyone, but not everyone knows about his passion for acting, music, and literature.

Like every other gymnast, he dreamt of winning gold at the Olympics and Emmy, Grammy, and Tony awards. It’s beautiful to see someone dreaming this big and chasing for each of them.

Similarly, Danell Leyva, today, is a popular and successful gymnast who is also indulged in acting, media, and business.

After the 2016 Summer Olympics, Leyva started going to acting classes.

Contribution to Sports

Within 1-1.5 years, he filmed two advertisements for television, was seen in a Nickelodeon show, and was also a choreography consultant for the sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Similarly, he bought a production company called Parallel Entertainment. He was also seen competing in the sports entertainment competition ‘American Ninja Warrior’ in 2019.

The other half of his career has now just started. We wish Leyva all the luck. And to our readers, never stop dreaming big.

Danell Leyva – Junior Career

Leyva participated in Winter Cup in 2006 for the first time. He then competed in the US National Championships’ junior division. He won gold medals on floor exercise, horizontal bar, and artistic all-around,

Similarly, Leyva participated in the 2008 Junior National Championships. He won the artistic all-around, parallel bars, high bars, and pommel horse titles.

He also competed at the 2008 Pan American Gymnastics Championships in Argentina became the horizontal bar champion.

Leyva was then picked for the 2008 Pacific Rim Championships team. Next, he competed for the United States team in San Jose, California, winning gold as a team.

He also became the gold medalist in the artistic all-around and bronze medalist on parallel bars in the finals of the junior division.

You might also be interested in reading: Arthur Mariano Bio: Parents, Ethnicity & Net Worth >>

Danell Leyva – As a senior in Gymnastics

Leyva became the youngest person to become a member of the US senior national team in 2009. He was just 19 then.

Likewise, Danell won a gold medal for the horizontal bar and a silver medal for the parallel bar at the National Championships.

Leyva then got picked as one of the four American male gymnasts to participate at the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics held in London. Leyva qualified to the horizontal bar final and was placed at 4th position.

Moreover, the young gymnasts were then picked for the men’s team that competed at the 2010 Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne.

Leyva collected individual titles on the horizontal bar and parallel bars at the competition. Similarly, he won a bronze medal on still rings.

Furthermore, Levya then got qualified for the all-around and pommel horse finals. He was placed 7th in both events.

Similarly, he participated in the 2010 US National Championships, becoming the gold medalist on the parallel bars. He also won a silver medal for artistic men’s all-around.

Leyva was then picked as a team member who competed at the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. The team qualifies for the finals but could not grab medals.

2011 and Later

Leyva participated in the 2011 US National Championships. Furthermore, he won his first all-around US National Championship there. He also grabbed titles in the parallel bars and horizontal bar.

Similarly, he was picked to be one of the anchors for the United States team at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics held in Tokyo. The US team won the bronze medal.

Moreover, Leyva also won several medals in the Winter Cup. He then became the winner of the American Cup in New York City.

Danell Leyva – Olympics

Leyva competed in the Olympic Trials in San Jose and became first. Furthermore, he had scored from Visa Championships along with two long days of Trials.

He was then placed on the United States Olympic Team alongside Orozco. However, he was selected as an alternate.

Likewise, Danell won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London for men’s artistic individual all-around. He had scored 90.698 points.

Leyva then got selected for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro also as an alternate. He got into the team when Orozco suffered from an injury.

Furthermore, Leyva won two medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio.

There he won two silver medals for men’s parallel bars with 15.900 and men’s horizontal bars with 15.500 points.

Danell Leyva – Coming Out Journey

Leyva is from the LGBTQ community. He proudly announced it on October 12, 2020, via Twitter. He is bisexual and pansexual.

Moreover, Danell said in an interview that he always knew about it but rejected the feeling internally because of the way children are usually raised. Also, coming from a Hispanic family, it was extra hard for him.

Moreover, the stereotyping that happens in the sport he is in made things even harder for him.

Once he started accepting himself, things got easier, and he realized how normal it was. We have quoted a beautiful statement by Leyva:

“I hope to one day live in a world where your sexuality is as irrelevant as to whether or not you’re right or left-handed. You know, it’s such a non-issue. It literally means nothing that if you’re just like, ‘Oh, you’re left-handed? That’s cool. Oh, you’re bi? That’s cool.”

Danell Leyva – Relationships and Girlfriend

Danell Leyva’s current relationship status is not known. However, he dated Giulianna Pino for a few years.

Likewise, Pino is also a gymnast from Florida. Sadly, the couple separated in April 2020.

Danell Leyva – Net Worth and Sponsorships

Leyva has gained fame not only from gymnastics but also from his media appearances. Likewise, he lives a pretty decent life in his home in Miami.

Danell’s net worth is estimated to be around $2.5 Million.

Moreover, Danell earns a decent amount from his sponsorships as well. He signed a multi-year sponsorship contract with Adidas Gymnastics in 2013.

You might want to read: Carlos Yulo Bio: Family, Gold Medal, Achievements & Girlfriend >>

Danell Leyva – Social Media Presence

Leyva is quite active on his social media handles. You can follow him via these 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.

Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah
Sanjib Sah is an engineer and content writer passionate about sports and athletics. With a background in engineering and a love for all things active, Sanjib brings a unique perspective to the world of sports writing. Whether he is covering the latest trends in sports technology or sharing tips on improving your game, Sanjib's words are always rooted in a deep appreciation for players' hard work and dedication everywhere. In his free time, you can find him hitting the courts or hitting the trails, always looking for new ways to challenge himself and improve his skills.

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