Danell Leyva Biography

Fast Facts

• Fled to U
• S
• from Cuba with his mother when he was a toddler
• Mother and stepfather, Yin Alvarez, are former Cuban national team gymnasts
• Pulled out of public school in first grade to enroll full-time at his stepfather's gymnastics school in Miami
• Alvarez is also Danell's coach and is known for his exuberance and histrionics while Leyva is competing
• Won World Championship medals in parallel bars (2011 gold; 2014 silver), horizontal bar (2015 silver) and team (2011 and 2014 bronze)
• Captured a bronze medal in the individual all-around at the 2012 London Olympics
• Was originally named an alternate for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, but was called up when John Orozco was injured
• Won a pair of silver medals on the parallel bar and high bar at the 2016 Olympics in Rio
• Has a signature move named for him ("the Leyva") on the parallel bars