Former UH sailor Daniela Moroz headed to Summer Olympics in Paris

Kiteboarding is making its debut in this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris, and former University of Hawaiʻi sailor Daniela Moroz will be there, competing for the first time as a US Olympian.

The 23-year-old is a six-time Formula Kite World Champion and four-time US Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. Now, she’s looking to add Olympic medalist to her résumé in August.

“It’s super exciting,” Moroz said. “You just dream about it for so long. Growing up I always dreamed about going to the [Olympic] Games as any young athlete does. When the possibility came around I was ‘Yeah, I just gotta go for it.’. . . Feeling nervous and every day I wake up and I see the countdown on my phone, and we’re like ‘one day closer,’ and you’re just trying to figure out how to maximize every minute.”

The inaugural Olympic kiteboarding competition will take place at Marseille Marina, the official Olympics sailing venue, in the Mediterranean Sea. Moroz is one of 20 women competing for gold.

Kiteboarding will be one of 10 sailing events in France and kicks off on Aug. 4. Competitors are propelled across the water’s surface while holding a kite to harness the power of the wind. Athletes require the balance of a surfer, while traveling at a similar speed seen in windsurfing. If the wind is strong enough, riders can reach speeds of up to 46 miles per hour and have been seen jumping 20 feet in the air. Riders navigate a buoy-marked course through different winds, making tactical decisions and optimizing their equipment to maximize speed and efficiency.

Moroz grew up in the Bay Area in California, and she sailed at UH Mānoa in 2020–21 and competed in several competitions for the Rainbows.

“The sailing team was so much fun,” Moroz said. “It was just one of those things where you start school in a new place and you immediately have 15 best friends because you just bond over sailing and that was so cool. The people were just incredible and having that circle of friends to be able to go and hang out with was so much fun. Also for me, I didn’t have that much experience with actual boat sailing because my background was just kiting so I really appreciated how patient everyone was with me when I was still learning, and it was just a great opportunity to upskill myself and to improve in a new discipline of my sport.”

UH Sailing Coach Andy Johnson said: “Daniela is a very happy, likable person and was a very positive influence on all of us during the time she spent with the UH Sailing team. She is driven to succeed, and we are all extremely excited to watch her bring home a medal for all of us and our country!”

After the Olympics, Moroz plans to return to UH Mānoa in spring 2025 to finish the remaining semester in her marketing degree.

“Thank you for all of the support, and especially even as someone that didn’t grow up on the island that I came from California, I always felt so welcomed,” Moroz said. “When I would go to my professors and tell them I was missing class for a regatta, they were always like ‘oh yeah that’s awesome, go have fun.’ Everyone was always so supportive, always wanted to help and was interested in what I was doing which was so cool to feel that support. I’m really excited to come back and finish my degree.”