DHERS Daniel

General
CAREER LONGEVITY
After a long career in the sport, he says that at his age he is able to enjoy the sport more, which he believes has allowed him to remain competitive among younger riders. "I think that what has helped me to stay in the sport at my age is that I enjoy it. I really like what I do, I like to train and the strategic side of the competition. When an 18-year-old rider comes up, he has all the will to win, I have lived all that and now I do not have a rival whom I want to beat. It's more like 'let's see who I ride against today', it's more friendly. My secret is to ride my bike every day. I learn it from my predecessors. For example [British BMX rider] Jamie Bestwick is 48 years old and he still wins in his category. I don't think I will be still competing at age 50, but I saw him riding so much. When I first saw [late US BMX rider] Dave Mirra, he was about 34 years old and I was about 22, and he was still competing at the highest level. We had an 11-year gap, and that's what's happening to me now. The guy with whom I train every day now is 15 years younger and we are training together." (El Pitazo YouTube channel, 20 Dec 2020)

FROM VENEZUELA TO THE UNITED STATES
He lived in Venezuela until he was 16 years old. His family relocated to Buenos Aires, Argentina, after his parents received a work offer. In Argentina he experienced a much more developed BMX industry which helped him to develop his skills and began competing professionally two years later. Shortly after, he moved to the United States of America to train and compete. He stayed in the country, where he has established his own skatepark in North Carolina. He returned to visit Venezuela for the first time in 2019. "Since I left Venezuela I had a strange sadness for many years that I didn't know what it was. Since that moment [2019] I have come back several times. I try to come every chance I have. I cannot train here the way I am used to, but I take my visit as a way of spiritual preparation. It boosts my energy and joy when I am here." (eldiario.com, 16 Jan 2021)

CONSIDERING QUITTING
He considered quitting the sport in 2017 but when BMX freestyle was added to the programme of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, he reconsidered. "I am so stubborn. I tried to qualify for the Olympic Games because I had nothing to lose, and I did it! I am feeling good. From 2021 to 2023 there is not so much difference so I could go to the Pan American Games in [Santiago] Chile. And 2024 is not far from 2023, so I could go to [the Olympic Games in] Paris." (eldiario.com, 16 Jan 2021)

DAVE MIRRA INSPIRATION
When he began BMX freestyle, he was inspired by US BMX rider Dave Mirra, who committed suicide in 2016. "He was like my icon. The guy came up every year and won all competitions he took part in. From Venezuela we all saw him like someone unreachable from another world." Years later he and Mirra became friends and even shared time living together at Mirra's home in North Carolina. "It was a very beautiful friendship. Man, I used to watch him on television and later we were together just having a good time." (eldiario.com, 16 Jan 2021)

CHESS INTEREST
He says he likes the strategic aspect of chess, a game he would have liked to play if he were not a BMX rider. "[Chess] is at the opposite point from what I do. I play it a little bit. I'm not that good, but I like the strategic aspect. All sports have something to do with chess because you need to have a good strategy in everything you do. If you are a competitor you have to think in how to win. I think that applies for everything in life, the strategy of how to achieve more than what you're doing." (eldiario.com, 16 Jan 2021)

He became the first male BMX rider to claim a Pan American Games gold medal when he won the freestyle park event at the sport's debut at the 2019 Games in Lima, Peru. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Jun 2021)