PARIS — For as long as Daniella Ramirez can remember, she’s been fully submerged in a pool and following in the footsteps of her aquatic family. “I’m a third-generation artistic swimmer,” Ramirez explained recently while preparing for the start of the eight-person team event at the Paris Olympics . “My grandma did artistic swimming back when it was called ‘water ballet,’ and then my mom did artistic swimming as a member of the Venezuelan national team, and that’s how she met my dad, who was a diver for Venezuela,” she said.
In other words, she did not stumble upon the mesmerizing and incredibly challenging sport accidentally. “There was no random choice here,” she added. But one thing that had eluded the entire family was an Olympic berth.
It sat as a tantalizing prospect always just out of their reach and evocative of an achievement representing the pinnacle of aquatic sports. That is, until this year when Ramirez and her teammates notched a ticket to Paris at the world championships in Doha, Qatar, with a sweeping performance that snapped a 16-year American drought at the Games. The jubilation came across in the most vivid facial expression one could imagine: Daniella’s shock and joy reflected not just her team’s state of mind but the multigenerational pursuit of the Ramirez family for greatness at the Games.
“For me, the pride is the family pride,” her mom, Carolina Mindiola, said as she gently wiped a tear from her cheek in an interview before the competition began. “She represents everything that we’ve worked for our entire lives,” Mindiola said. Artistic swimming’s team event involves a combination of performances — technical, free and acrobatic over three nights — that collectively form a composite score.
The U.S. team came into Wednesday's final with the second-highest overall total, behind China.
If Team USA can land on the podium, it would be their first time medaling since Athens in 2004, when the Americans captured bronze in both duet and team. The years of swim practices, thousands of miles of separation for training (Ramirez spent seven years training in the Bay Area with the national team, leaving Miami at age 15), and missed family events and celebrations suddenly all prelude to the ultimate reward. Her mom eventually joined her in California after applying to around 50 jobs as an architect so Ramirez wouldn’t be alone, but the two of them lived across the country from her dad until Ramirez started college.
“She’s going to make it happen, not only for her, but for us as a family and as a great achievement for us as immigrants in this beautiful country that has given us the opportunity to be who we are,” her father, Fernando Ramirez, said. He guided and nurtured his daughter’s passion for swimming from an early age and moved his family from Venezuela in the 1990s so they could have the chance to pursue the American dream. He spoke slowly, fighting back tears.
“For her to get that flag and represent the United States ...
bring back the United States to where it belongs (in the sport) and win a medal — I couldn’t be more thankful and proud.”.
