4x World Champion Kite Foiler & 2 x Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year “Stoked to Fly”
Daniela Moroz, 4-time Kitefoil World Champion and 2-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, will join the U.S. SailGP Team as they compete in sailing’s premiere international racing championship SailGP for its second season. Moroz, who intends to launch a 2024 Olympic campaign in the new Formula Kite class, will join the eight other participating teams in Bermuda leading up to the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented by Hamilton Princess kicking off April 24-25.
From the San Francisco Bay Area, Moroz, 20, is one of two women (the other is Hawaii-based CJ Perez) selected by the U.S. SailGP Team to join the roster this year.
“We were overwhelmed by the quality of athletes who applied, and our entire sailing team took part in the selection process,” said Jimmy Spithill, U.S. SailGP Team Helmsman. “Daniela brings to our team an impressive amount of foiling ability which is paramount to racing at this level. We’re excited to welcome her to the roster and develop her talent further.”
New to SailGP, in Bermuda Moroz will learn as much as possible about SailGP’s racing platform – the F50 foiling catamaran – as part of a new athlete development program aimed at introducing her to the technical and athletic skills needed to operate the high-performance boat.
Moroz, a junior at the University of Hawaii, is thrilled to join the team, and has made the most of the short time since being selected to prepare for Bermuda.
“I took a much-needed break from kitefoiling last year which really reignited the spark,” Moroz, considered one of the world’s most talented kite foilers, commented. “I’m now back in a consistent training regime, whether it be alone or with the US Sailing Team in various locations, and have been able to further focus my own foiling skills plus stay in great shape. I’ve been putting in time with sailors like Riley Gibbs (member US Olympic Sailing Team/Nacra 17, and Team United States SailGP wing trimmer in season 1), who has been a huge help in sharing audio and video training content and technical information on (boat) controls which I’ll be studying going into Bermuda.”
Charlie McKee who coached Moroz this past winter in Florida, noted, “This is a fantastic opportunity for Daniela! She is an elite athlete who performs at the very top of her sport. Her relentless quest for improvement makes her a great fit for SailGP. Her already impressive campaigning skills will be enhanced even further, and the rigorous performance quest and off the water analysis will raise the bar even further. She is already a proven winner on the international stage of high-performance sailing, and both SailGP and Daniela will benefit from her becoming part of this team.”
Noting that SailGP and its goals align with her personal brand, Moroz looks forward to working in a professional environment at what is essentially the highest level of the sport will be an invaluable learning opportunity.
“It was one I couldn’t pass up,” Moroz stated. “I’ll be able to apply this learning to my Olympic campaign and so much more down the road. I’m excited to support the team as best I can and be the best teammate I can be. Hopefully, this will give us a chance to turn around American sailing and show the world what we’re capable of!”
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Moroz joins new teammates for SailGP season 2
https://sailgp.com/news/us-sailgp-team-lineup-complete/
ABOUT DANIELA MOROZ
Growing up in San Francisco in an avid water-sports family, Daniela started kitesurfing at the age of 12. Two years later she competed in her first race and since then has been literally unstoppable. In the past six years, she has won every major international hydrofoil event, as well as the prestigious Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year in 2016 and 2019. When she’s not on the water, she’s working on a degree in International Business and Marketing at the University of Hawaii. Info/contact:
https://www.danielamoroz.com/
https://www.instagram.com/thelifeofdanielaa/
https://www.facebook.com/danielamorozkite
ABOUT SailGP
SailGP is an international sailing competition using high performance F50 foiling catamarans. Teams compete across a season of multiple grands prix around the world, with the first season being held in 2019. https://sailgp.com/