Danell Leyva

Danell Johan Leyva is a Cuban-American gymnast who competed for the United States in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games. He was also the 2012 Olympic individual All-Around bronze medalist and the 2016 Olympic parallel bars and horizontal bars silver medalist. Leyva won the gold medal at the 2011 US national all-around competition and the parallel bars championship in 2011.

He could perform a Jam-Dislocate-Hop to Under Grip on the horizontal bar (his signature move), a parallel bar specialty. In 2006, Leyva qualified for his first Winter Cup. In 2008, he earned an all-around victory at the Junior National Championships by winning gold on the floor exercise, horizontal bar, and pommel horse. He also won gold on the parallel bars at the Pan American Gymnastics Championships in Argentina in 2008. In 2009, Leyva also competed in the junior division at the US National Championships. Following the Pacific Rim Championships, Leyva participated in the 2008 U.S. team's gold-winning performance in San Jose, California. He won the all-around gold medal and bronze medal on parallel bars in the junior division finals.

In 2009, he became the youngest member of the US senior national team at age 17, and at the National Championships won the gold medal on the horizontal bar and the silver medal on the parallel bars. He was chosen as one of four US male gymnasts to compete at the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London. He qualified for the horizontal bar final, where he placed 4th. His national team debut in 2009 brought him to the podium as the youngest member of the US senior national team at age 17. He had won the gold medal on the horizontal bar at the National Championships, as well as the silver medal on the parallel bars. He was one of four US male gymnasts chosen to compete at the 2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in London. He qualified to the finals on the horizontal bar, placing fourth. The winter cup gave him individual titles on the horizontal bar and parallel bars, as well as a bronze medal on still rings. He was a member of the men's team for the Pacific Rim Championships, and at the championships, he qualified for the all-around and pommel horse finals, where he placed 7th in both events. Then in 2010, he competed in another US national championship, where he became the gold medalist for the USA on the parallel bars, and a silver medalist in the all-around. In 2010, he competed on the American team at the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. He was a member of the team that finished in fourth place and then qualified for the horizontal bar finals, where he placed in fifth place.