Catching up with Daniela Moroz

St. Francis Sailing Foundation’s Michelle Slade caught up with Daniela Moroz, Olympian & Formula Kite Foil Champion, the experience Slade described as always an upbeat and inspiring occasion. The effervescent 24-year-old Bay Area local recently raced the 2025 Formula Kite Foil Championship held in Cagliari, Italy securing yet another podium finish; this year a silver medal to add to her collection of six world titles. Lately, she’s taken up residence in Seal Beach, California, to be close to the proposed racecourses for the LA2028 Olympic Games and to spend some time figuring out if another Olympic quad is in her future.

MS: You were unsure if you wanted to do another quad? What changed?
DM: The idea of having to go through such a significant weight gain process again wasn’t appealing, and I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do all that work only for the final series to be kind of subjective at the end based on what happened last year (Ed note: reference to Moroz taking fourth in the 2024 Olympic Games after questionable umpiring calls in the medal race).

MS: What motivated you to sign up for the Worlds?
DM: I realized that I had nothing to lose and a lot to learn. After the Long Beach OCR (Olympic Classes Regatta) in July, I started to feel a spark and excitement to race again. I didn’t know where I’d be but I knew if I did the Worlds I needed to put some time in so I went to the UK for three weeks to train with the Brits prior to the event which was fun, we had a great group and it was really productive. We sailed in all kinds of conditions and I finally got time on new kites. – Full story