Hailey Danz

Name: Hailey Danz (formerly Danisewicz)
Sport: Paratriathlon
Classification: PTS2
Height: 5'3"
Birthdate: January 9, 1991
Hometown: Wauwatosa, Wis.
Current Residence: Colorado Springs, Colo.
High School: Wauwatosa East High School
College: Northwestern '13, B.A. in Psychology

Career Highlights

2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Gold Medalist

Four-time World Triathlon Para Series World Champion (2013, 2021, 2022, 2023)
2020 Tokyo Paralympic silver medalist
2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic silver medalist
10-time World Triathlon Paratriathlon Series medalist (5 gold, 3 silvers, 2 bronzes)
12-time ITU World Paratriathlon Event medalist (4 golds, 7 silvers, 1 bronze)
Four-time Americas Triathlon Para Championships gold medalist (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
Two-time USA Paratriathlon National Champion (2017, 2019)
2019 Tokyo ITU Paratriathlon World Cup gold medalist
2015 USA Triathlon Paratriathlete of the Year

Personal

Growing up, Hailey Danz was always very active. As a young athlete she played any sport she could, including volleyball and basketball. When Hailey was 12, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in her left leg. At 14 years old, after a year of chemotherapy and several surgeries, she decided to have her leg amputated to get back to an active lifestyle. After her injury, Danz took up downhill skiing before being introduced to triathlon. Six years later in 2011, she was applying for an internship with the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association, and triathlete Keri Serota only agreed to hire her on the condition that she would try a triathlon. Danz competed in her first triathlon through Dare2Tri, a paratriathlon club co-founded by Serota and based out of Chicago. Before entering her first race, she had no swim, bike, or run background — but by 2013 she had earned an ITU Paratriathlon world title, and by 2015 she was named the USA Triathlon Paratriathlete of the Year. Leading up to the 2016 Paralympic Games, where paratriathlon would make its debut as a medal event, Danz left her job at a nonprofit and moved from Chicago, Illinois, to Austin, Texas, to train full-time. This decision paid off after she won a silver medal in the PTS2 classification for paratriathlon at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She then went on to earn two USA Paratriathlon National Championship titles in 2017 and 2019. She also competed in her second Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 and earned the silver medal. In 2022 she also earned her third World Triathlon Paratriathlon World Championship title, winning in Abu Dhabi. Her biggest mentor in the sport is fellow paratriathlete and national team member  Melissa Stockwell. Her favorite sports motto is, “I believe there is no finish line,” which explains how she is always looking for new opportunities to learn and grow to become a stronger athlete. Besides triathlon, she enjoys trail running, downhill skiing, reading, psychology, brunch and coffee.

Elite Triathlon Career

2024: Hailey raced in the Americas Triathlon Para Championships Miami and placed second • She raced in the World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama in May, placing first in her classification • Leading up to the Games, Hailey traveled to Montreal for the World Triathlon Para Series and placed second • Hailey won her first gold medal at the Paralympic Games on Sept. 2 in the PTS2 classification.

2023: Hailey started her season off at the 2023 Americas Triathlon Para Championships Sarasota where she placed first • She raced in both Yokohama and Montreal Worth Triathlon Para Series races and placed first in both • She raced in the World Triathlon Para Cup Paris and placed second • She placed first in the World Triathlon Para Championships Pontevedra, where she qualified for the U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team.

2022: Started the season earning her fourth Americas Para Champion title at the 2022 Americas Triathlon Para Championships Sarasota-Bradenton in Florida on March 13 • Competed in her first World Triathlon Para Series event of the year in Montreal Canada on July 8, where she claimed the gold • Won at the 2022 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea in Great Britain on August 6 • Earned her third-career World Title at the 2022 World Triathlon Championship Finals Abu Dhabi on November 24 • Was a member of one of the Team USA relay team in the exhibition event of the Paratriathlon Mixed Relay race in Abu Dhabi, where her team, consisting of Kendall Gretsch, Owen Cravens and Chris Hammer, placed second overall. 

2021: Won a gold medal at the AJ Bell World Triathlon Para Series Leeds on June 5 • Won the Americas Triathlon Para Championships in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, a key selection race for the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 (June 27) • Retained the silver medal behind compatriot Allysa Seely at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games (August 28) • Won her first Para World Triathlon Champion title since 2013 at the 2021 World Triathlon Para Championships in Abu Dhabi (November 5) 
2019: Won the Sarasota-Bradenton CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships on March 9 • Earned back-to-back silver medals at ITU World Paratriathlon Milan on April 27 and ITU World Paratriathlon Montreal on June 28 • Earned her second career national title at the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships on July 20 • Won a gold medal at the Tokyo ITU Paratriathlon World Cup on Aug. 17 • Earned bronze at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Sept. 1

2018: Earned a 1st place finish at the CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships Sarasota-Bradenton on March 10 • Placed 2nd at the ITU World Paratriathlon Series Yokohama, on May 12 • Finished 3rd at the ITU World Paratriathlon Series Iseo-Franciacorta on June 30 • Earned a 2nd place finish at the ITU World Paratriathlon Series Edmonton on July 27 • Grabbed a bronze medal at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Gold Coast, Australia

2017: Placed fourth at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Sept. 14 • Earned silver medals at ITU World Paratriathlon Series stops in Yokohama, Japan, on May 13, and Edmonton, Alberta, on July 28 • Earned a national title at the USA Triathlon Paratriathlon National Championships in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, on June 25 • Placed second at the Sarasota CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships on March 11

2016: Won a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games on Sept. 11 as part of a U.S. podium sweep in the women's PT2 division, alongside gold medalist Allysa Seely and bronze medalist Melissa Stockwell • Took bronze at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on July 23 • Earned silver at the Besancon ITU World Paratriathlon Event on June 19 • Finished fourth at the Sarasota CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships on March 13

2015: Became the first U.S. paratriathlete to officially qualify for a U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team • Picked up the silver medal at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships on Sept. 15 in Chicago (compatriot Allysa Seely won gold to confirm Hailey's quota spot through the ITU Paralympic Games criteria) • Won the Paralympic Games test event (Rio de Janeiro ITU World Paratriathlon Event) on Aug. 1 to provisionally qualify for the U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team • Earned her second straight continental championship title with the fastest PT2 time at the CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships in Monterrey, Mexico, on May 1 • Opened her season with a win at the Sunshine Coast (Australia) ITU World Paratriathlon Event on March 13

2014: Captured the silver medal on Aug. 29 at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta • Claimed victory in her hometown on June 28 at ITU World Paratriathlon Chicago • Was the top PT2 finisher at the PATCO Paratriathlon American Championships in Dallas, Texas, on May 31

2013: Won the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships title on Sept. 11 in London • Picked up the silver medal at the USA Paratriathlon National Championships on May 27 in Austin, Texas

2012: Made her ITU debut at the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 20, winning the bronze medal