DENVER — Hailey Danz has overcome incredible odds to become a Paralympic gold medalist. The 34-year-old Denver resident was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 12 and underwent a major surgery that left her leg severely impaired.
“Honestly, one of the hardest parts was having to give up sports," Danz explained. "I made the decision when I was 14 to have my leg amputated above the knee, and I really just did that so that I could kind of get my life back.”
In the early 2000s, adaptive sports were still gaining popularity, so Danz continued to play able-body sports like skiing and tennis.
"It was frustrating because I compared myself to what I was like when I had two legs, and compared myself to my peers that I might have been faster than prior to the amputation. It was hard not being able to keep up in the way that I used to," Danz said. "But that made it so that when I did find the world of adaptive sports and was surrounded by people who had similar challenges, it felt like the playing field was leveled."
In college, Danz discovered the triathlon — a swim, bike, and run competition in that order.
As the sport of triathlon made its Paralympic debut in Rio de Janeiro 2016, Danz was among the early athletes in the competition. Although she came close to winning gold in both Rio and Tokyo 2020, Danz's perseverance led her to a gold medal in Paris 2024.
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About half of Colorado's Paralympians will return home with a medal
"It almost still hasn't sunk in," she said. "When there's something that you want so desperately and have worked so many years for, and it comes true, it's surreal."
Her journey is a testament to her resilience, determination, and hard work, inspiring many.
Sportswomen of Colorado are now recognizing Danz for her remarkable achievements and are excited to continue pushing forward with potential future goals in Los Angeles 2028.
Watch our full interview with Hailey Danz in the video below.
