Danielle G. Waldman

Danielle "Dani" Goldstein-Waldman (born February 6, 1985) is an American-Israeli[1][2] show jumper.[3][4][5][6] In July 2019 Goldstein, as part of Israel's four-rider squad, qualified to represent Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Danielle G. Waldman
Personal information
Birth nameDanielle Goldstein
Full nameDanielle Goldstein-Waldman
Nickname(s)Dani
NationalityAmerican, Israeli[1][2]
Born (1985-02-06) February 6, 1985
New York, New York, U.S.
Alma materDuke University
OccupationShow jumper
Spouse(s)Alan Waldman
Sport
Country Israel
SportEquestrian
Turned pro2012

Early and personal life

Danielle Goldstein is a native New Yorker who grew up on the Upper East Side in Manhattan in New York City.[7][5][8][2] Her parents were professional squash players, with her father Stuart ranked number one in the world and her mother nationally ranked in squash, and her father now works in real estate.[5][8][9][1] She is Jewish, and felt drawn to Israel after traveling there on a Bat Mitzvah trip, at the age of 12.[2][1]

She attended Duke University, where Goldstein earned a BA in global economies and development, and played competitive tennis.[3][7] She lived in Sydney, Australia, for six months studying urban planning.[7]

Goldstein wears up to 1,000 special colorful hair extension feathers in her hair, that she makes herself to match her hair color, which she changes every four months.[5][10] It takes more than six hours to put them all in.[5] She also has a unique riding clothing style, in that she wears midriff-bearing sports bras and yoga pants instead of the traditional jodhpurs.[5][11] Asked about her choices in wearing feathers and yoga pants, she said:

"For me, the feathers and the clothing choices I make, I make them for very personal reasons. I make them because I think the feathers are beautiful; I think that they’re fun, and I think why not? I wear yoga clothes not because I want to make some crazy statement, but because I think I look better in them; I feel better in them; I feel more comfortable. When I look in the mirror, I feel better about myself wearing that clothing than when I wear regular breeches."[12]

Her husband Alan Waldman, whom Goldstein married in June 2019, is a horse breeder, dealer, and trainer.[5][13][14] Goldstein now lives and rides in the Netherlands mostly full-time, where she lives and set up an operation in Putten, Netherlands, but comes to Wellington, Florida, where her family owns and operates Starwyn Farms, during the winter season.[7][4][8] She also maintains a part-time residence in Tel Aviv, Israel.[15][14]

She received her Israeli citizenship in 2009.[1][2]

Riding career

Goldstein began riding at age eight, and competed in her first grand prix at 16 years of age, winning individual and team gold medals in the North American Young Rider Championships that year.[7][5][4] She never represented the United States on a senior team because she always intended to do that for Israel.[16]

In 2010, Goldstein acquired Israeli citizenship while she was living there, and has been competing for Israel ever since.[7][4] She turned professional in 2012.[6]

In 2013, she represented Israel in the ECCO FEI European Show Jumping Championships, in Herning, Denmark, having qualified by finishing 8th in June 2013 in the Outdoor Gelderland/Arnhem Grand Prix 3* in Holland.[7][17][18] That year Goldstein also served as the chef d’equipe (team captain) for the gold medal-winning Israeli jumping team in the 2013 Maccabiah Games on Kibbutz Yagur in northern Israel on the slopes of Mount Carmel, outside of Haifa.[7][19][18]

In July 2017 Goldstein won the Cascais-Estoril, Portugal Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) #9 Grand Prix.[6][15] She finished 9th at the European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.[20]

In February 2019 she was ranked # 43 in the world on the Longines FEI Rankings List.[21] That month she won the $391,000 Palm Beach Equine Clinic Grand Prix CSI5* at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida.[22]

In May 2019 Goldstein won the Shanghai LGCT Grand Prix, earning over 200,000 euros.[5][10] She became the first woman to win the competition.[23]

In July 2019 she won the €300,000 LGCT Grand Prix of Berlin CSI 5*.[24]

Also in July 2019 Goldstein, as part of Israel's four-rider squad, qualified to represent Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, defeating Poland at an Olympic qualifier in Moscow.[25][26]

References
  1. Leichman, Abigail Klein (February 11, 2013). "Horsing around for Israel; Champion show-jumper Danielle Goldstein became an Israeli citizen so she could represent the Jewish state in international competitions". Israel21c.
  2. Ben Sales (May 20, 2014). "An Israeli Olympic equestrian? Danielle Goldstein aims for Rio Games". Arizona Jewish Post.
  3. "About Dani". Danielle G.
  4. Jill Novotny (10 April 2018). "The Refreshing Style of Dani Goldstein". Equestrian Living.
  5. Benyamin Cohen (June 11, 2019). "American-Israeli equestrian becomes fashion icon on her way to the Olympics; Danielle Goldstein is more than just a show jumper with a unique sense of style. She's a serious contender for a gold medal". From the Grapevine.
  6. "Danielle Goldstein on the secrets of her success". CNN. June 5, 2019.
  7. Griffin, Justine (September 23, 2018). "Rebel With A Cause: Show Jumper Danielle Goldstein Does It Her Own Way". HeelsDown Magazine.
  8. Ghert-Zand, Renee (February 13, 2013). "Israeli show jumpers begin equest for greatness". Times of Israel.
  9. Pamela Young (April 3, 2018). "Israeli Show Jumper Danielle Goldstein is Pretty Badass". Horse Sport.
  10. Donald, Jennifer (May 6, 2019). "'It's like wearing a down comforter on my head' — Israeli rider and her flying hair feathers claim big win". Horse & Hound.
  11. Nina Fedrizzi (April 2, 2019). "Dani Goldstein Rides in Yoga Pants, So I Did Too. Here's What I Discovered". NOËLLE FLOYD.
  12. "Danielle Goldstein Believes Show Jumping Should Embrace Individuality". The Chronicle of the Horse. March 8, 2019.
  13. "Making Memories: Danielle Goldstein at LGCT Miami Beach". Global Champions. August 4, 2018.
  14. "Dani Goldstein and Alan Waldman are getting married". Equnews International. July 4, 2018.
  15. Jackson, Lorraine (July 10, 2017). "Blue-haired, Fashion-obsessed, and Talented: Danielle Goldstein of Israel is the Hero Show Jumping Needs". Jumper Nation.
  16. Lizzy Youngling (December 1, 2018). "Five Questions For Danielle Goldstein: Lizziemary, the Olympic Dream, and Riding For Israel". NOËLLE FLOYD.
  17. "Danielle Goldstein Represents Israel in European Championships and Qualifies for 2014 World Equestrian Games". Show World. September 11, 2013.
  18. "Danielle Goldstein Named Chef d'Equipe for Team Israel at 2013 Maccabiah Games". Show World. July 24, 2013.
  19. Allison Kapler Somer (July 18, 2013). "Riding for Israel, All the Way to Rio De Janeiro; If a determined young American-Israeli woman named Danielle Goldstein has her way, the current Maccabiah will only be a milestone on the way to even greater achievements for Israel in the equestrian world". Haaretz.
  20. "Goldstein's Medal Target with Israel". FEI.org. May 8, 2018.
  21. Nina Fedrizzi (February 15, 2019). "Hair Feathers Improve Danielle Goldstein's Clear Round Rate by Nearly 32% (satire)". Horse Network.
  22. Lizzy Youngling (February 25, 2019). "Girl On Fire: Danielle Goldstein On Keeping Her Focus and Pre-Ride Superstitions". NOËLLE FLOYD.
  23. Mike Rowbottom (May 4, 2019). "Goldstein becomes first woman to win Shanghai Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix". inside the games.
  24. "Danielle G. Waldman & Lizziemary Shine in €300,000 LGCT Grand Prix of Berlin CSI 5*". Jumper News. July 28, 2019.
  25. Marcy Oster (July 2, 2019). "Israeli equestrian squad to compete in Olympics for first time". The Jerusalem Post.
  26. "Heels Down Happy Hour Podcast 61: Haters Gonna Hate & Winter Blues". HeelsDown Magazine. November 22, 2019.
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