Paying Tribute to Dani Molina

Dani Molina loves to train. He enjoys the daily discipline, following his coach’s instructions to the letter, picking up his kids in the afternoon, and resting so he can start all over again. Although since that glorious day in early September, the tributes haven’t always allowed him to enjoy his routine, they don’t feel strange to him. He’s shy, but he feels comfortable in the skin of that man who faces audiences celebrating his triumph. He knows he deserves those honors because he knows he deserves the gold he won that glorious day in early September in the PTS3 triathlon category at the Paralympic Games in Paris.

After twenty years, Dani was able to return to the Games. Following his participation swimming at Athens 2004, he discovered that triathlon was the sport of his life. He hadn’t been practicing it long when someone at a race told him: ‘you’re going to go far in this,’ and Daniel believed him.
He began training and dedicating his life to the sport; he met his coach, who believed in him so strongly that for eight years he gave him everything, asking for nothing in return.
It wasn’t ever easy— money didn’t come in. In a sport like Paralympic triathlon, it was very hard to find sponsors. There were some very tough seasons.

However, Orbea was always there. They came in at the beginning when he was just starting:
“It’s not a sponsorship; I’ve been with the brand for 12 years, it’s my family. I even had an Orbea bike as a kid! They always believed in me, without question. If I needed something, they helped me; if I broke anything, I had a replacement the next day. I can’t imagine competing with any other brand.”

This week, Dani stepped away from his beloved routine to travel to Mallabia, where his family was paying him tribute. He picked up his kids from school, grabbed his medal, and jumped in the car to drive to Orbea’s home and share the Olympic gold with us.

And what comes after gold? Do you feel certain emptiness?
After gold comes life, and more golds, because Dani doesn’t see any other option.
The night following his Olympic gold win, Dani slept. He slept as he hadn’t in a long time. The day after he won Olympic gold, Dani kept training. He won the European Championship, kept training, and finished second—second!—at the World Championship. He had only lost two races in his life, so there’s no need to ask what his next goal is: the World Championship will be his.
And what will he do when he wins the World Championship?
The day after he wins the World Championship, he will keep training, and if possible, he will compete in Los Angeles.

“There will come a day when I have to stop doing triathlon, but on that day, the bike will still be there—that’s my favorite of the three disciplines. On the bike, I’m happy because it’s also the most social part. I’ll never stop riding.” When that day comes, Orbea will still be there.

Dani is happy with what he does:
“The important thing is to believe that what you’re doing has a purpose.”
That person he met at a race believed he could go far. Dani believed him and he never stopped believing in himself. And so, we all believed in him.
And what if, in the end, it’s all about that, believing? Nothing more and nothing less than believing—always, always believing.