Why this two-sport US Paralympian will do anything to get what she wants
Why this two-sport US Paralympian will do anything to get what she wants
Trevor McGee, Special to USA TODAY SportsThu, March 12, 2026 at 1:23 PM UTC
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Why this two-sport US Paralympian will do anything to get what she wants
CORTINA, D'AMPEZZO, Italy — Dani Aravich stood peeved at the top of the slopes in Breckenridge, Colorado, in December 2019.
The then 24-year-old from Boise, Idaho, was invited by the cross-country ski development coach to spend a week in Colorado. The spontaneous Aravich thought it couldn’t be much different than the downhill skiing she already enjoyed.
It wasn’t quite that simple, though.
“After that week, I was so pissed off that I couldn't figure out how to stay balanced, how to ski,” Aravich said.
“I said, ‘I think I have to figure this out.’”
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See the best photos from the 2026 Winter Paralympics starting with Lauren Parker of Team Australia participating in training ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium on March 5, 2026 in Val di Fiemme, Italy.
Since she did not grow up in a culture where cross-country skiing is an activity from the time you can walk, Aravich has been playing catch-up in her 20s. The process is just like any other, repeating reps until she figures it out.
“I'm trying to learn to love the process, but the process is sometimes the hardest, worst part,” Aravich said.
Aravich is now competing in her second Winter Paralympic Games with the nickname “Biathlon Bandit.” At the 2026 Milano Cortina, she's be competing in both cross-country skiing and the biathlon — two of Aravich’s many career endeavors.
The now 29-year-old is a businesswoman, a dual-season Paralympian and a co-founder of the media collective called Culxtured. All of her experiences have combined to give her a life motto: “I will do anything to get what I want,” Aravich said.
For Aravich, that mindset extends beyond the slopes. Cross-country skiing, she learned quickly, is a sport in which technique matters as much as fitness. Athletes in Nordic and Eastern European countries often grow up with skiing as part of their lives. Being a late bloomer has meant Aravich has spent six years catching up as an adult.
After finishing at the back of the pack in 2022 Beijing — earning eighth, ninth and 13th place in three different races — Aravich’s journey has only continued to climb uphill. She earned her first international podium finish with a bronze medal in the women's standing sprint pursuit at the IBU Para Biathlon World Cup in 2025.
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Her preparation has been the reason for her ascension, despite picking up the sport at a later age. The former Butler University track athlete has always been a competitor, so she understands the strain of operating as an athlete.
Aravich tracks her sleep, heart rate variability and recovery metrics, sharing with her coaches and support team. She works with a sports psychologist to manage the pressure of racing against more experienced athletes to avoid comparisons — though she still studies races by four-time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins in any free time she can find.
Training doesn’t leave a lot of time for her business life, but Aravich makes it work.
“It means working every second I'm not training to try to develop my business resume and have career opportunities outside of sport,” Aravich said. “And that's something that I take a lot of pride in, is that if I want to achieve something, I'm going to chase it.”
The constant evolution of Aravich’s days often means she doesn’t know what comes next. She expected to return to her “9-to-5 desk job” after competing in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games. Then, she ended up in Beijing in 2022 for the Winter Paralympic Games.
Now, she’s in Italy for her second go-around as a Winter Paralympian. She finished 10th in her first event (women's biathlon sprint standing), sixth in her second event (women's biathlon individual standing) and sixth in her third event (women's cross-country sprint classic standing). She has two events remaining: women's biathlon sprint pursuit standing (March 13) and women's cross country 20km interval start free standing (March 15).
“I like being busy, and that's where I thrive,” Aravich said. “And I just think that I'd be selling myself short if I was to put myself in one box.”
Her drive extends beyond the slopes. Aravich has helped co-launch “Culxtured,” a media collective seeking to change the narrative around para sports. She also serves on the board of directors for the International Federation of Ski and Snowboard Council, while leveraging her own marketability with brands to earn sponsorships — both as a Winter and Summer Paralympian.
For now, Aravich will trade in the business calls for dual competition as a 2026 qualifier in the biathlon and cross-country skiing. Just six years into her technical skiing career, Aravich knows the prime of skiing life is still in front of her. But she’s ready to test herself again to get what she wants.
“It's been a really beautiful, but frustrating, journey,” Aravich said, “and I'm excited.”
Trevor McGee is a reporter for the Paralympics Project, a partnership between USA TODAY Network and the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US Paralympian Dani Aravich is a two-sport standout at 2026 Winter Games
Source: “AOL Sports”
