{{Short description|Venezuelan cyclist (1973–2024)}} {{Family name hatnote|Larreal|Chirinos|lang=Spanish}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox cyclist | name = Daniela Larreal | image = Podio velocidad por equipos Campeonato Panamericano de Ciclismo 2011 (cropped - Larreal).jpg | image_size = | caption = Larreal in 2011 | fullname = Daniela Greluis Larreal Chirinos | nickname = | birth_date = {{birth date|1973|10|02|df=yes}}{{efn|Based on the majority of reliable sources. However, the website of the 2012 Olympic Games said she was born in 1972.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Athlete profile: Larreal, Daniela Grelui|url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/larreal-daniela-grelui-1093627/ |website=London2012.com |access-date=12 August 2012 |archive-date=31 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031002650/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/larreal-daniela-grelui-1093627/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>}} | birth_place = Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela | death_date = {{death date and age|2024|08|11|1973|10|02|df=yes}}{{efn|Larreal was pronounced dead on 15 August 2024.<ref name=Independent/>}} | death_place = Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | height = | weight = | currentteam = | discipline = Road | role = Rider | ridertype = Sprinter | proyears1 = 1993–1996 | proteam1 = Club Café Fortaleza | majorwins = | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport | Women's track cycling}} {{MedalCountry|{{VEN}}}} {{MedalCompetition|UCI Track Cycling World Cup}} {{MedalGold|1996 Overall Ranking|Points race}} {{MedalGold|2003 Overall Ranking|Sprint}} {{MedalBronze|2003 Overall Ranking|Keirin}} {{MedalCompetition|Pan American Games}} {{MedalGold|2011 Guadalajara|Keirin}} {{MedalGold|2011 Guadalajara|Team sprint}} {{MedalSilver|2003 Santo Domingo|Sprint}} {{MedalSilver|2003 Santo Domingo|Keirin}} {{MedalSilver|2011 Guadalajara|Sprint}} {{MedalCompetition|Pan American Cycling Championships}} {{MedalGold|1992 Quito|Sprint}} {{MedalGold|1997 Cali|Sprint}} {{MedalGold|2005 Mar del Plata|Keirin}} {{MedalGold|2012 Mar del Plata|Team sprint}} {{MedalSilver|1997 Cali|500m}} {{MedalSilver|2010 Aguascalientes|Keirin}} {{MedalSilver|2011 Medellin|Team sprint}} {{MedalSilver|2014 Aguascalientes|Team sprint}} {{MedalBronze|2010 Aguascalientes|Sprint}} {{MedalBronze|2011 Medellin|Sprint}} {{MedalBronze|2014 Aguascalientes|Keirin}} {{MedalBronze|2014 Aguascalientes|Sprint}} {{MedalCompetition|South American Games}} {{MedalGold| 2014 Santiago | Sprint}} {{MedalGold| 2014 Santiago | Team sprint}} {{MedalSilver| 2014 Santiago | Keirin}} {{MedalCompetition|Central American and Caribbean Games}} {{MedalGold| 1998 Maracaibo | Sprint}} {{MedalGold| 2002 San Salvador | Sprint}} {{MedalGold| 2002 San Salvador | Keirin}} {{MedalGold| 2002 San Salvador | Scratch}} {{MedalGold|2010 Mayagüez|Sprint}} {{MedalGold|2010 Mayagüez|500m Time trial}} {{MedalGold|2010 Mayagüez|Keirin}} {{MedalGold|2010 Mayagüez|Team sprint}} {{MedalSilver| 1990 Mexico City | Sprint}} {{MedalSilver| 1993 Ponce | Sprint}} {{MedalSilver| 1993 Ponce | Points race}} {{MedalSilver| 1998 Maracaibo | 500m Time trial}} {{MedalSilver|2002 San Salvador | 500m Time trial}} {{MedalBronze| 1998 Maracaibo | Points race}} | show-medals = | updated = }}
'''Daniela Greluis Larreal Chirinos''' (2 October 1973 – 11 August 2024)<ref name=":0" /> was a Venezuelan track cyclist – a five-time Olympian considered one of Venezuela's most important sportspeople and the leading Venezuelan cyclist for over two decades.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjkbq33lphQ |title=Daniela Larreal, la pedalista de oro |date=17 March 2014 |last=MinJuventudyDeporte |access-date=21 August 2024 |via=YouTube |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821021500/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjkbq33lphQ&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ElNacional" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=22 March 2022 |title=Las cinco deportistas más destacadas en la historia del deporte venezolano |url=https://espndeportes.espn.com/otros-deportes/nota/_/id/10107378/las-cinco-deportistas-mas-destacadas-en-la-historia-del-deporte-venezolano |website=ESPNdeportes.com |language=es |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331024956/https://espndeportes.espn.com/otros-deportes/nota/_/id/10107378/las-cinco-deportistas-mas-destacadas-en-la-historia-del-deporte-venezolano |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sosa|first=David|date=9 March 2023|title=Daniela Larreal: un emblema del ciclismo venezolano|url=http://laguiadecaracas.net/53912/daniela-larreal-un-emblema-del-ciclismo-venezolano/|access-date=19 August 2024|website=La Guía de Caracas|language=es|archive-date=16 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816164004/http://laguiadecaracas.net/53912/daniela-larreal-un-emblema-del-ciclismo-venezolano/|url-status=live}}</ref> She had a brief road cycling career in the 1990s, and set the Olympic record for women's track time trial in 2000. She spent the last eight years of her life in exile.
Competing mainly in American competitions, she achieved over 35 international medals in her career; there were 24 years between her first and last podium finishes. She also raced in the UCI Track Cycling World Cup, medalling in various stages. In the later years of her career, Venezuela fell into a state of crisis, with Larreal critical of corruption among sporting bodies. Under the presidency of Nicolás Maduro, Larreal became more widely critical of how her country was run. Her activism saw her forced into exile in the United States, where she joined the Venezuelan political opposition.
==Early and personal life== Daniela Greluis Larreal Chirinos was born on 2 October 1973 in Maracaibo, Zulia, Venezuela, the daughter of cyclist Daniel Larreal,<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last1=Semprún Parra |first1=Jesús Ángel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XlGDwAAQBAJ |title=Diccionario General del Zulia |last2=Hernández |first2=Luis Guillermo |date=2018-01-11 |publisher=Sultana del Lago, Editores |isbn=978-1-9768-7303-4 |location=Zulia |pages=1129–1130 |language=es}}</ref><ref name=Online>{{cite web|url=https://2001online.com/deportes/quien-era-daniela-larreal-ciclista-venezolana-hallada-muerta-en-eeuu/|title=¿Quién era Daniela Larreal, ciclista venezolana hallada muerta en EEUU?|access-date=16 August 2024|last=Viloria|first=Eili Aranza Devia|date=16 August 2024|website=Diario 2001|language=es|archive-date=18 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818183347/https://2001online.com/deportes/quien-era-daniela-larreal-ciclista-venezolana-hallada-muerta-en-eeuu/|url-status=live}}</ref> who won a silver medal at the 1971 Pan American Games<ref name=":2" /> and was considered the best cyclist in Venezuelan history.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Arias |first1=Fidias G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bL2IDwAAQBAJ |title=Mujer y Deporte |last2=D'Amico |first2=Rosa López de |date=2019-02-19 |pages=78 |language=es}}</ref> She was also Indigenous.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bbkwAAAAYAAJ|title=Zeta|date=1996|language=es|page=26|quote=Nuestra campeonísima ciclista Daniela Larreal, tan orgullosa de su raza indígena y de su título de campeona mundial de una especialidad, no ganó ni un solo punto en la competencia de velocidad el domingo pasado.}}</ref> Her mother was called Gladis Teresa.<ref name=":9" /> Her father introduced her to cycling;<ref>{{Cite web|date=17 August 2024|title=Muere Daniela Larreal, la atleta olímpica de Venezuela que denunció la dictadura de Maduro|url=https://www.antena3.com/noticias/deportes/muere-daniela-larreal-atleta-olimpica-venezuela-que-denuncio-dictadura-maduro_2024081766c0e2a41dd440000154cb82.html|access-date=19 August 2024|website=www.antena3.com|language=es|archive-date=19 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819205020/https://www.antena3.com/noticias/deportes/muere-daniela-larreal-atleta-olimpica-venezuela-que-denuncio-dictadura-maduro_2024081766c0e2a41dd440000154cb82.html|url-status=live}}</ref> she was already fast on a velodrome track when young<ref name="ElNacionalCa">{{Cite web|date=18 August 2024|title=Mor Daniela Larreal, llegenda olímpica veneçolana contrària a Maduro i que vivia exiliada|url=https://www.elnacional.cat/ca/internacional/mor-daniela-larreal-llegenda-olimpica-venecolana-contraria-maduro-vivia-exiliada_1269693_102.html|access-date=19 August 2024|website=ElNacional.cat|language=ca|archive-date=19 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819233016/https://www.elnacional.cat/ca/internacional/mor-daniela-larreal-llegenda-olimpica-venecolana-contraria-maduro-vivia-exiliada_1269693_102.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and began competing when she was 8, representing the Capital District in the 1986 youth Vuelta de Lara.<ref name=":8" /> She preferred swimming as a child and was the Venezuelan junior freestyle swimming champion over both 50m and 100m when she was 13. She then began training seriously in track cycling in 1989.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=12 September 2001 |title=Daniela Larreal, reina de la velocidad |url=https://www.lahora.com.ec/deportes/daniela-larreal-reina-de-la-velocidad/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821004032/https://www.lahora.com.ec/deportes/daniela-larreal-reina-de-la-velocidad/ |archive-date=21 August 2024 |access-date=20 August 2024 |website=La Hora |language=es}}</ref> At one point, Larreal began studying police science but put this aside to focus on cycling.<ref name=":3" /> She later completed a degree in physical education in Venezuela,<ref name=Times>{{Cite web|last=Blanco|first=Andrea|date=19 August 2024|title=Exiled Olympic cyclist found dead had choked on food days earlier|url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/daniela-larreal-chirinos-olympics-death-choke-c6zm7c7jp|access-date=19 August 2024|website=The Times|archive-date=19 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819200433/https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/daniela-larreal-chirinos-olympics-death-choke-c6zm7c7jp|url-status=live}}</ref> having studied alongside her career.<ref name=ElNacional>{{cite web|url=https://www.elnacional.com/deportes/daniela-larreal-ciclista-que-denuncio-corrupcion-deporte_256266/|title=Daniela Larreal, la ciclista que denunció la corrupción en el deporte|access-date=16 August 2024|date=18 October 2018|website=EL NACIONAL|language=es|archive-date=16 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816024558/https://www.elnacional.com/deportes/daniela-larreal-ciclista-que-denuncio-corrupcion-deporte_256266/|url-status=live}}</ref> When she moved to the United States, she started a two-year course for the equivalent qualification.<ref name=NuevoHerald/>
Like other successful athletes, the Venezuelan regime awarded Larreal with a house and car; after leaving the country, Larreal revealed to Spanish media that such houses were being invaded by squatters due to the crisis in Venezuela, and the cars were cheap models that she could cycle faster than.<ref name=MundoDeportivo>{{Cite web|date=19 December 2016|title=Daniela Larreal, la exatleta olímpica que cambió la bicicleta por un Uber|url=https://www.mundodeportivo.com/ciclismo/20161219/412741440817/daniela-larreal-la-exatleta-olimpica-que-cambio-la-bicicleta-por-un-uber.html|access-date=20 August 2024|website=Mundo Deportivo|language=es|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820114958/https://www.mundodeportivo.com/ciclismo/20161219/412741440817/daniela-larreal-la-exatleta-olimpica-que-cambio-la-bicicleta-por-un-uber.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Career==
=== 1990s === Larreal's first championship was the 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games,<ref name="Online" /> where she was the only female track cyclist from Venezuela to compete<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |url=http://www.com.org.mx/wp-content/uploads/centroamericanos/1990-Juegos-CAC/1990-Juegos-CAC.pdf |title=Memoria oficial: XVI Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe |publisher=Mexican Olympic Committee |year=1990 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210031030/http://www.com.org.mx/wp-content/uploads/centroamericanos/1990-Juegos-CAC/1990-Juegos-CAC.pdf |archive-date=10 February 2018}}</ref>{{Rp|page=474}} and won the silver medal in the sprint.<ref name="Online" /><ref name=":7" />{{Rp|pages=486–487}} Still a teenager, she next competed at the VIII National Youth Games held in Maracaibo in 1991, winning two gold medals, for sprint and pursuit. Larreal then achieved her first international gold medal at the 1992 Pan American Track Championships in Quito, doing so by setting a new championship record of 13.619 seconds in the individual sprint. The placement qualified her to compete at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where she went out in the second round repechage.<ref name=":8" /> She went on to compete at five different Olympic Games, representing Venezuela at the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2012 Summer Olympics and earning four Olympic diplomas.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=McMurty |first=Andrew |date=19 August 2024 |title=Five-time Olympic cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos found dead at 50 |url=https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/fivetime-olympic-cyclist-daniela-larreal-chirinos-found-dead-at-50/news-story/bdabf9dd441bcac0dedf4ae80e23d9f1 |website=News.com.au}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Daniela Grelui Larreal |url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/daniela-grelui-larreal |access-date=19 August 2024 |website=Olympics.com |archive-date=16 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816123858/https://olympics.com/en/athletes/daniela-grelui-larreal |url-status=live }}</ref> Among Venezuelan athletes, others who have competed at five Olympics are Fabiola Ramos (1996 through 2012) and Rubén Limardo (2008 through 2024).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://x.com/EsRojas/status/1761530172942004732|last=Rojas|first=Esteban|via=X (Twitter)|title=Al alcanzar cinco participaciones en Juegos Olímpicos en #Pekín2008, #Londres2012, #Rio2016, #Tokio2020 y #París2024, Rubén Limardo igualaría entre deportistas de Venezuela a Fabiola Ramos (tenis de mesa) y Daniela Larreal (ciclismo de pista).|date=24 February 2024|language=es|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820092536/https://x.com/EsRojas/status/1761530172942004732|url-status=live}}</ref>
After her debut Olympics in Barcelona, Larreal began training and racing in Spain with a road racing team (as non-Spanish cyclists could not compete on the track) sponsored by Café Fortaleza; she won three golds, six silvers, and eight bronzes there. In 1993, she won two silver medals at the 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games, in the sprint and points race. She returned to national competition in 1996, representing Lara and taking gold in the sprint trials. Larreal also had success in the 1996 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics, with podium finishes in the stages at Cali and Havana, and an overall placement as world champion in the points race. Her results placed Venezuela 11th of the 328 nations involved.<ref name=":8" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Baptista|first=Asdrúbal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_rQjAQAAIAAJ|title=Venezuela siglo XX: visiones y testimonios|date=2000|publisher=Fundación Polar|isbn=978-980-379-015-8|language=es|page=330|quote=...y el campeonato mundial por puntos de ciclismo femenino, obtenido en [Cottbus] Berlín por Daniela Larreal en 1996, que la situó de primera en el ranking de ese torneo.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=1996 - Cronología de historia de Venezuela |url=https://bibliofep.fundacionempresaspolar.org/_custom/static/cronologia_hv/zoom/s20-10/1996-138.html |website=Empresas Polar Press|language=es}}</ref> Considered a "top contender" to earn an Olympic medal for Venezuela due to her results,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DvSzAAAAIAAJ |title=Business Venezuela |publisher=American Chamber of Commerce of Venezuela |year=1996 |page=25}}</ref> she again had a disappointing Olympic Games in 1996, being eliminated in the same round of the sprint as in 1992<ref>{{cite web |title=Cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games: Women's Sprint |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1996/CYC/womens-sprint.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418124835/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1996/CYC/womens-sprint.html |archive-date=18 April 2020 |accessdate=7 March 2020 |work=Sports Reference}}</ref> and taking no points in the points race (placing 15th, the highest of the cyclists without points, on ranking).<ref>{{cite web |title=Cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games: Women's Points Race |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1996/CYC/womens-points-race.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417214012/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1996/CYC/womens-points-race.html |archive-date=17 April 2020 |accessdate=7 March 2020 |work=Sports Reference}}</ref> She saw success in more stages of the 1997 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics and, at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games hosted in Maracaibo, set a new flying 200m championship record of 12.13; as the organisers did not use approved electronic timing devices, times set at the event were not recognised. She won the 200m sprint and took silver in the 500m.<ref name=":8" />
=== 2000s === Larreal was the first holder of the Olympic record for women's track time trial, with a time of 35.728 in 2000; she ultimately finished tenth, with four other cyclists achieving a new Olympic record in the event.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7WFYAAAAYAAJ |title=Official Report of the XXVII Olympiad |date=2001 |publisher=Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games |isbn=978-0-9579616-0-9 |pages=203 |quote=Daniela Larreal of Venezuela, set the first Olympic record for the event, but it was short lived, being broken another three times before Ballanger's ride.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2000/CYC/womens-500-metres-time-trial.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417225554/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2000/CYC/womens-500-metres-time-trial.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |title=Cycling at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games: Women's 500 metres Time Trial |work=Sports Reference |accessdate=9 March 2020}}</ref> She picked up her first Olympic diploma in 2000, coming eighth in the sprint.<ref name="Olympedia" /> Larreal came to renown across South America in 2001, when she won three gold medals (including the elimination race) at the 2001 Bolivarian Games, with the cycling events taking place in Quito. Ecuadorian newspaper ''La Hora'' dubbed her the "queen of speed" for her success and monopolization of attention during the championship.<ref name=":3" /> This included setting a new Bolivarian record in the 200m, of 10.905, on 8 September 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 November 2017 |title=Cali cerró la pista de Ciclismo en los bolivarianos |url=https://www.juegosbolivarianos2017.gov.co/item/articulo/25830/categoria_cms/1563 |website=Juegos Bolivarianos 2017 |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Image of VENEZUELAN CYCLIST DANIELA LARREAL IN ACTION, 2001-09-08 (photo) |url=https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/guillermo-granja/venezuelan-cyclist-daniela-larreal-in-action-2001-09-08-photo/photograph/asset/8236045 |access-date=20 August 2024 |website=www.bridgemanimages.com |archive-date=20 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820230413/https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/guillermo-granja/venezuelan-cyclist-daniela-larreal-in-action-2001-09-08-photo/photograph/asset/8236045 |url-status=live }}</ref> Larreal again won three gold medals in one championship at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games, including defeating main rival Nancy Contreras in the sprint.<ref name="Afectada" />
In January 2003, Larreal began focused training for the 2004 Olympics at a centre in Switzerland.<ref name="LMT" /> She had already secured qualification to the Olympics by June 2004, before the Venezuela-hosted 2004 Pan American Cycling Championships which would select the remaining American quota.<ref>{{Cite web |last=EFE |date=18 June 2004 |title=Anfitriona Venezuela con 39 ciclistas completa su delegación |url=https://caracol.com.co/radio/2004/06/18/deportes/1087509600_070635.html |access-date=20 August 2024 |website=Caracol Radio |language=es |archive-date=20 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820233433/https://caracol.com.co/radio/2004/06/18/deportes/1087509600_070635.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At the 2004 Olympics she achieved an Olympic diploma. During the classification race for fifth through eighth places of the sprint competition at the 2004 Olympics, Larreal finished behind race winner Natallia Tsylinskaya of Belarus but was also judged to have cycled within the inner lane and impeded Tsylinskaya. Larreal was disqualified and handed automatic eighth place as bottom of the athletes who made it to the quarterfinals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2004/CYC/womens-sprint.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418125012/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2004/CYC/womens-sprint.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Cycling at the 2004 Athens Summer Games: Women's Sprint |work=Sports Reference |accessdate=11 March 2020}}</ref><ref name=LMT>{{cite web|url=https://www.lmtonline.com/lmtenespanol/article/Atenas-Venezolana-Daniela-Larreal-descalificada-10247161.php|title=Atenas: Venezolana Daniela Larreal descalificada en sprint 200|last=Rojas|first=Enrique|date=23 August 2004|website=Laredo Morning Times|access-date=19 August 2024|archive-date=19 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819215555/https://www.lmtonline.com/lmtenespanol/article/Atenas-Venezolana-Daniela-Larreal-descalificada-10247161.php|url-status=live}}</ref> Larreal said the decision was unjust as she did not enter the lane intentionally but had been forced into it to avoid other cyclists. She also reflected that she was proud to be one of the eight best in the world, especially against cyclists with better resources.<ref name=LMT/>
Larreal then won four gold medals at the 2005 Bolivarian Games.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Mediotiempo |first=Editorial |date=29 April 2009 |title=Buscará venezolana Larreal nueva marca mundial en Bolivia |url=https://www.mediotiempo.com/mas-deportes/buscara-venezolana-larreal-marca-mundial-bolivia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821002614/https://www.mediotiempo.com/mas-deportes/buscara-venezolana-larreal-marca-mundial-bolivia |archive-date=21 August 2024 |access-date=21 August 2024 |website=Mediotiempo |language=es-MX}}</ref> She had said at the 2004 Olympics that she would not aim for the 2008 Summer Olympics, that as she was already 30 years old she probably only had a year or two of competitive cycling left.<ref name=LMT/> She later did aspire to the 2008 Olympics but suffered a broken femur and missed the Games, which again made her consider ending her career; instead she returned to smaller championships in 2009. She said ahead of the 2009 Bolivarian Games that she wanted to break the world record for 200m there, having come close previously.<ref name=":4" />
=== 2010s === Larreal's absence from larger American competitions had led to the Cuban Lisandra Guerra becoming dominant in the sprint in 2009, something Guerra reaffirmed after Larreal's return by taking four golds at the 2010 Pan American Cycling Championships, leaving Larreal to win bronze in the sprint (Diana García completed the podium).<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 May 2010 |title=Lisandrá se llevó cuatro oros en el Panamericano de Ciclismo |url=http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2010/05/16/lisandra-se-llevo-cuatro-oros-en-el-panamericano-de-ciclismo/#.XwiIUC_P32c |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710152458/http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2010/05/16/lisandra-se-llevo-cuatro-oros-en-el-panamericano-de-ciclismo/#.XwiIUC_P32c |archive-date=10 July 2020 |website=Cubadebate |language=es}}</ref> Later in 2010, Larreal won four golds at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games.<ref name="dlto" /> She then won two golds at the 2011 Pan American Games,<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 October 2011 |title=Daniela Larreal gana su segundo oro en ciclismo |url=https://www.eleconomista.com.mx/deportes/Daniela-Larreal-gana-su-segundo-oro-en-ciclismo-20111020-0046.html |website=El Economista |language=es |access-date=21 August 2024 |archive-date=22 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822060042/https://www.eleconomista.com.mx/deportes/Daniela-Larreal-gana-su-segundo-oro-en-ciclismo-20111020-0046.html |url-status=live }}</ref> setting a new Pan American record for 200m with a time of 10.995 in the qualification round,<ref>{{cite web |date=19 October 2011 |title=Larreal impone nuevo récord panamericano |url=http://www.codigovenezuela.com/2011/10/deportes/ciclismo-deportivo/larreal-impone-nuevo-record-panamericano |access-date=17 November 2012 |website=www.codigovenezuela.com}}</ref> and successive new Pan American records (with teammate Mariaesthela Vilera) for team sprint in qualification (33.854) and the final (33.611).<ref>{{cite web |title=Women's Team Sprint Qualifying |url=http://info.guadalajara2011.org.mx/ENG/CT/CTR173A_CTW4014019@@@@@@@ENG.htm |access-date=2 December 2011 |website=Portal oficial de los XVI Juegos Pan-Americanos Guadalajara 2011 |archive-date=22 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822060048/https://secundariaenlinea.com.mx/guadalajara2011-educacion-digital/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Women's Team Sprint Finals |url=http://info.guadalajara2011.org.mx/ENG/CT/CTR173A_CTW4014011@@@@@@@ENG.htm |access-date=2 December 2011 |website=Portal oficial de los XVI Juegos Pan-Americanos Guadalajara 2011 |archive-date=22 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822060044/https://secundariaenlinea.com.mx/guadalajara2011-educacion-digital/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=17 October 2013 |title=Pan American Games 2011 Day 1 Results |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/pan-american-games-track-cycling-2011/day-1/results |access-date=24 November 2013 |publisher=www.cyclingnews.com |archive-date=22 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822060152/https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/pan-american-games-track-cycling-2011/day-1/results/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At the end of 2011, Larreal was awarded the {{ill|Athlete of the Year Award|es|Premio Atleta del Año}} by the Venezuelan Sports Journalists' Association.<ref>{{cite web|date=8 December 2011|title=Según el Círculo de Periodistas Deportivos: Daniela Larreal y Miguel Cabrera elegidos Atletas del Año 2011|url=http://www.correodelorinoco.gob.ve/daniel-larreal-y-miguel-cabrera-elegidos-atletas-ano-2011/|access-date=20 August 2024|website=Correo del Orinoco|language=es|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820231424/http://www.correodelorinoco.gob.ve/daniel-larreal-y-miguel-cabrera-elegidos-atletas-ano-2011/|url-status=live}}</ref>
She announced beforehand that she would retire after the 2012 Olympic Games, choosing the Olympics as a stage "to say goodbye to the track."<ref name=ESPN>{{Cite web|date=3 August 2012|title=Ciclismo (F): Gaviria y Larreal, ya eliminadas|url=https://espndeportes.espn.com/noticias/nota?s=olimpicos/verano/2012&id=1578253&type=story|access-date=19 August 2024|website=ESPNdeportes.com|language=es|archive-date=19 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819224601/https://espndeportes.espn.com/noticias/nota?s=olimpicos/verano/2012&id=1578253&type=story|url-status=live}}</ref> There, she competed in the team and individual sprints,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/cycling-track/event/women-team-sprint/index.html|title=London 2012 Team sprint women Results – Olympic cycling-track|access-date=31 March 2013|archive-date=3 January 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103143051/www.london2012.com/cycling-track/event/women-team-sprint/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/cycling-track/event/women-sprint/phase=ctw001900/index.html|title=London 2012 sprint women Results – Olympic cycling-track|access-date=31 March 2013|archive-date=8 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208194019/http://www.london2012.com/cycling-track/event/women-sprint/phase%3Dctw001900/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the keirin,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/cycling-track/event/women-keirin/index.html|title=London 2012 Keirin women Results – Olympic cycling-track|access-date=31 March 2013|archive-date=8 December 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208142836/www.london2012.com/cycling-track/event/women-keirin/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> earning two Olympic diplomas.<ref name="SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/daniela-larreal-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418051209/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/la/daniela-larreal-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Daniela Larreal Olympic Results |accessdate=27 August 2016}}</ref> She finished last in her race of the second round of the keirin, not qualifying for the final, and then came third in the classification race for seventh through twelfth places, originally coming ninth overall.<ref name=ESPN/> In 2016, the Russian cyclist who came eighth was retroactively disqualified for doping,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-sanctions-four-athletes-for-failing-anti-doping-tests-at-beijing-2008-and-london-2012-1|title=IOC sanctions four athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008 and London 2012|date=13 September 2016|access-date=19 August 2024|archive-date=23 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323224212/https://www.olympic.org/news/ioc-sanctions-four-athletes-for-failing-anti-doping-tests-at-beijing-2008-and-london-2012-1|url-status=live}}</ref> with eighth place and the Olympic diploma reallocated to Larreal in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/News/2020/11/Medals-Diplomas-and-Medallist-Pins-Reallocation.pdf|title=Medals, Diplomas and Medallist Pins Reallocation|website=Olympics.com|date=November 2020|access-date=19 August 2024|archive-date=12 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240512020921/https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/News/2020/11/Medals-Diplomas-and-Medallist-Pins-Reallocation.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2012 Games was the first time the Olympic women's team sprint was contested; Larreal and Vilera won the first heat in a time of 34.320, meaning they briefly and unofficially held the Olympic record in women's team sprint. The pair ultimately placed seventh.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.london2012.com/cycling-track |title=Olympic Cycling – Track – Schedule, Results, Medals | London 2012 |access-date=9 February 2012 |archive-date=25 May 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120525181308/www.london2012.com/cycling-track |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Having retired after the 2012 Olympics, Larreal returned to competing in early 2014 "out of pure love for her country".<ref name=":5">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM90-uGOBW8 |title="Volví por puro amor al país": Daniela Larreal. Luis Bravo 13–03–14 |date=13 March 2014 |last=Diario Panorama |access-date=21 August 2024 |via=YouTube |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821013502/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=pM90-uGOBW8 |url-status=live }}</ref> The results in sprint cycling from other Venezuelans were of a lower standard and she wanted to inspire another generation of track cyclists. In the three women's track cycling events at the 2014 South American Games, Larreal won two golds and a silver. Speaking to ''Diario Panorama'' at the time, she called for the removal of corruption in Venezuelan sport as a way of helping athletes improve.<ref name=":5" /> Larreal was preparing to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics when the Venezuelan Cycling Federation, which was run by the government and which she had criticised for not giving athletes their assigned funding, refused to register her at qualifying events. She then complained about this, which led to threats from officials and the Federation trying to confiscate her passport. On one occasion, when she was driving to visit her father, two trucks tried to force her off the road before she evaded them – her father then told her she had to leave the country.<ref name=NuevoHerald/>
==Political activism and exile== Larreal had openly been a supporter of Hugo Chávez and his political ideology.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=23 August 2016 |title=Daniela Larreal denuncia que el Estado utiliza el deporte para "traficar drogas y fugar dólares" |url=https://efectococuyo.com/politica/daniela-larreal-afirma-que-el-estado-utiliza-el-deporte-para-traficar-drogas-y-fugar-dolares/ |access-date=21 August 2024 |website=Efecto Cocuyo |language=es |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821025135/https://efectococuyo.com/politica/daniela-larreal-afirma-que-el-estado-utiliza-el-deporte-para-traficar-drogas-y-fugar-dolares/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2001 she had criticized his government for only providing support to athletes at the last minute, after it was most necessary,<ref name=":3" /> then in 2004 and 2009 she had praised Chávez for heavily investing in sports in Venezuela in the intervening years.<ref name=LMT/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Noticias |first=Últimas |date=2009-08-19 |title=Reinauguran comedor en el IND: Atletas cuentan con alimentación segura |url=https://www.aporrea.org/actualidad/n140828.html |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=Aporrea |language=es}}</ref> Larreal first seriously criticized the Venezuelan government in 2012, under Chávez and then-Minister for Sports Héctor Rodríguez, for irregularities in state funding of sports – at this point, specifically accusing them of sponsoring a motor sport athlete who did not exist in order to take foreign currency out of Venezuela.<ref name=NuevoHerald/>
After the death of Hugo Chávez in 2013, with Nicolás Maduro inheriting the leadership of Venezuela, Larreal further accused the Ministry of Sports of widespread corruption,<ref name=Metro>{{Cite web|last=Ashton|first=Ben|date=19 August 2024|title=Olympic cyclist found dead at home after 'choking on food'|url=https://metro.co.uk/2024/08/19/olympic-cyclist-found-dead-home-choking-food-21450487/|access-date=19 August 2024|website=Metro|archive-date=19 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819195242/https://metro.co.uk/2024/08/19/olympic-cyclist-found-dead-home-choking-food-21450487/|url-status=live}}</ref> saying Maduro treated the department as a source of petty cash<ref name=NuevoHerald/> and that various officials were implicated in corruption when allocating resources.<ref name=MundoDeportivo/> Her main criticism remained that officials within Venezuelan sport abused their positions to steal federal money, rather than invest in sports, and she continued to call for audits. She later alleged that the Venezuelan government used sports to traffic drugs and dirty money.<ref name=":6" /> Larreal was a vocal critic of the presidency of Nicolás Maduro,<ref name=":1" /> which she called a dictatorship,<ref name=Times/> and became an activist for democracy.<ref name=Metro/> She joined Venezuelan opposition political party Popular Will in 2016;<ref>{{Cite web|date=16 December 2016|title=Daniela Larreal pedalea en Miami del chavismo a Voluntad Popular|website=El Estímulo|url=https://elestimulo.com/deportes/2016-12-16/daniela-larreal-pedalea-en-miami-del-chavismo-a-voluntad-popular/|access-date=20 August 2024|language=es|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820113601/https://elestimulo.com/deportes/2016-12-16/daniela-larreal-pedalea-en-miami-del-chavismo-a-voluntad-popular/|url-status=live}}</ref> discussing her political affiliation, she said "it's not a secret to anyone that I was ''chavista'', but Chávez is dead".<ref name=":6" />
Her political activism saw Larreal receive death threats in Venezuela and she was forced into exile and banned from entering Venezuela in 2016,<ref>{{Cite web|date=18 August 2024|title=Hallan muerta a una campeona olímpica venezolana que criticó con dureza el régimen de Maduro|url=https://www.larazon.es/deportes/hallan-muerta-campeona-olimpica-venezolana-que-critico-dureza-regimen-maduro_2024081866c18da61dd440000156f3a2.html|access-date=19 August 2024|website=La Razón|language=es|archive-date=22 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822060044/https://www.larazon.es/deportes/hallan-muerta-campeona-olimpica-venezolana-que-critico-dureza-regimen-maduro_2024081866c18da61dd440000156f3a2.html|url-status=live}}</ref> seeking political asylum in the United States.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_gNubDBJBQ|title=Ciclista venezolana busca asilo político en Miami por amenazas|date=15 December 2016|author=AFP Español|access-date=20 August 2024|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref name=Times/> At this point, ''chavista'' media in Venezuela tried to villainize her, saying that she had used $2{{nbsp}}million of sports funding to open two companies in the United States; she had no companies and worked menial jobs.<ref name=MundoDeportivo/> Larreal also stated that the Ministry of Sports had forced other cyclists to formally denounce her,<ref name=ElNacional/><ref name=NuevoHerald/> but that her teammates had privately supported her.<ref name=NuevoHerald/> In the United States, Larreal continued promoting opposition to Maduro.<ref name=Metro/> She joined the Vente Venezuela political party in 2018,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nacional |first=El |date=11 September 2018 |title=Ciclista Daniela Larreal se unió a Vente Venezuela |url=https://www.elnacional.com/oposicion/ciclista-daniela-larreal-unio-vente-venezuela_251316/ |access-date=21 August 2024 |website=EL NACIONAL |language=es |archive-date=17 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817015440/https://www.elnacional.com/oposicion/ciclista-daniela-larreal-unio-vente-venezuela_251316/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=ElNacionalCa/> with other Venezuelan athletes Borman Angulo and Freiber Zerpa.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6p4Nlh_3Zc|title=Deportistas Borman Angulo, Daniela Larreal y Freiber Zerpa se ponen la camisa de Vente|date=11 September 2018|author=Vente Venezuela|access-date=20 August 2024|via=YouTube}}</ref> She was still associated with Vente Venezuela at the time of her death, having in August 2024 supported María Corina Machado<ref name=Times/><ref name=":1" /> and posted on social media about the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, political crisis and protests.<ref name=Metro/>
Larreal lived in Miami in 2016, where she drove an Uber, using what she earned to fund her education and send medicine and food packages to her father, though these were often confiscated by the Venezuelan regime.<ref name=MundoDeportivo/><ref name=NuevoHerald>{{cite web|url=https://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/america-latina/venezuela-es/article122655899.html|title=venezolana: Ministerio del Deporte fue caja chica para funcionarios de Maduro|website=El Nuevo Herald|date=24 December 2016|last=Hernandez|first=Leon|language=es|access-date=19 August 2024|archive-date=22 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822060617/https://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/america-latina/venezuela-es/article122655899.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She later worked at a hotel in Las Vegas,<ref name=":1" /> with Fox Sports reporting she was a waitress there.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/sports/olympics/cyclist-found-dead-inside-las-vegas-apartment|title=Former Olympic cyclist found dead inside Las Vegas apartment days after choking on food|date=19 August 2024|website=The Beacon Herald|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=22 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822060747/https://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/sports/olympics/cyclist-found-dead-inside-las-vegas-apartment|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Death== On 12 August 2024, Larreal was declared missing after failing to turn up for work.<ref name=":1" /> A friend then asked the police to conduct a welfare check, which they did on the afternoon of 15 August,<ref name=22Aug24ESPN>{{cite web|date=22 August 2024|title=Olympic cyclist Chirinos found dead in Las Vegas|url=https://www.espn.co.uk/olympics/story/_/id/40953781/daniela-larreal-chirinos-5-olympian-venezuela-dies|website=ESPN}}</ref> when she was found dead at her apartment in Las Vegas at the age of 50.<ref name=":1" /> A preliminary autopsy said she died of asphyxia after choking on food on 11 August 2024,<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Fallece en Las Vegas ciclista olímpica de Venezuela |url=https://www.diariolasamericas.com/deportes/fallece-las-vegas-ciclista-olimpica-venezuela-n5361945 |website=Diario Las Americas |access-date=18 August 2024 |language=Spanish |date=16 August 2024 |archive-date=16 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816203926/https://www.diariolasamericas.com/deportes/fallece-las-vegas-ciclista-olimpica-venezuela-n5361945 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Nuñez |first1=Greily |title=Autopsia revela causa de la muerte de la ciclista zuliana Daniela Larreal |url=https://noticialdia.com/deportes/autopsia-revela-causa-de-muerte-de-la-ciclista-zuliana-daniela-larreal/ |access-date=16 August 2024 |publisher=Noticia al dia |date=16 August 2024 |archive-date=16 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240816163147/https://noticialdia.com/deportes/autopsia-revela-causa-de-muerte-de-la-ciclista-zuliana-daniela-larreal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> though "the cause and method" of her death continued being investigated by the Clark County Medical Examiner,<ref name=Independent>{{Cite web|date=19 August 2024|title=Five-time Olympic cyclist choked on food at Vegas apartment days before body found|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/daniela-chirinos-dead-vegas-olympics-b2598685.html|access-date=20 August 2024|website=The Independent|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820024208/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/daniela-chirinos-dead-vegas-olympics-b2598685.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=22Aug24ESPN/> and it was later determined that Larreal had died of a stroke. As her mother had died of the same cause many years earlier, and other maternal relatives had, too, her father noted suspicions of a hereditary stroke disorder.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maraves |first=Zaraith |date=16 December 2024 |title=Muerte de la exciclista venezolana Daniela Larreal fue por un ACV |url=https://www.globovision.com/deportes/31920/confirman-que-muerte-de-la-exciclista-venezolana-daniela-larreal-fue-por-un-acv |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=Globovisión |language=es}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Nacional |first=El |date=2024-12-15 |title=Confirman que muerte de la ciclista Daniela Larreal fue por un ACV |url=https://bitlysdowssl-aws.com/2024/12/confirman-que-muerte-de-la-ciclista-daniela-larreal-fue-por-un-acv/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=EL NACIONAL |language=es}}</ref>
The 2024 Vuelta a España began on 17 August 2024, with Colombian former cyclist Víctor Hugo Peña presenting the tour for ESPN and giving a tribute to Larreal at its opening.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://x.com/ShowEmperador/status/1824840410264453184|author=ShowEmperador|via=X (Twitter)|date=17 August 2024|title=Las emotivas palabras de @victorhugopenag para Daniela Larreal junto a el @Conejorodriguez quienes comparten la transmisión de #LaVuelta24 junto a @MaxRicheze y @LauralozanoR a través de @ESPNCiclismo|language=es|access-date=20 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820111850/https://x.com/ShowEmperador/status/1824840410264453184|url-status=live}}</ref> Media in Zulia soon reported plans for national tributes, and that her body would be repatriated,<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Martínez |first=Lenys Carolina |date=18 August 2024 |title=Repatriarán el cuerpo de Daniela Larreal a Caracas |url=https://www.radiofeyalegrianoticias.com/repatriaran-el-cuerpo-de-daniela-larreal-a-caracas/ |access-date=20 August 2024 |website=Radio Fe y Alegría Noticias |language=es |archive-date=22 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822060617/https://www.radiofeyalegrianoticias.com/repatriaran-el-cuerpo-de-daniela-larreal-a-caracas/ |url-status=live }}</ref> though the process of repatriation would be lengthy. When Larreal had bought the plot for her mother at the {{Ill|Cementerio del Este (Caracas)|lt=Cementerio del Este|es|Cementerio del Este (Caracas)}} in Caracas, she requested to be buried next to her, which her father said after her death that he planned to ensure.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Notizulia |date=2024-08-25 |title=Daniela Larreal sería sepultada al lado de su madre en el Cementerio del Este, en Caracas |url=https://notizulia.net/daniela-larreal-seria-sepultada-al-lado-de-su-madre-en-el-cementerio-del-este-en-caracas/ |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=Notizulia |language=es}}</ref> Her body had been repatriated by 29 September 2024, and her funeral took place on 2 October, which would have been her birthday,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-29 |title=Restos de Daniela Larreal en camino para ser sepultados el miércoles en Caracas |url=https://bravosports.net.ve/2024/09/29/restos-de-daniela-larreal-en-camino-para-ser-sepultados-el-miercoles-en-caracas/ |website=BravoSports.Net.Ve |language=es}}</ref> at the {{ill|Teo Capriles Velodrome|es|Velódromo Teo Capriles}} in Caracas.<ref name=":10" /> There was an open-casket ceremony at the velodrome's chapel, and a funeral procession and guard of honour carrying her coffin on a lap of the track,<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Davila |first=Edicson |date=2024-10-03 |title=Despiden a Daniela Larreal en Velódromo Teo Capriles |url=https://www.ciudadvalencia.com.ve/rindieron-homenaje-a-daniela-larreal-en-velodromo-teo-capriles/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |website=Ciudad Valencia |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-02 |title=Daniela Larreal dará la última vuelta al velódromo «Teo» Capriles – BravoSports.Net.Ve |url=https://bravosports.net.ve/2024/10/02/daniela-larreal-dara-la-ultima-vuelta-al-velodromo-teo-capriles/ |access-date=2026-03-21 |language=es}}</ref> before Larreal was interred alongside her mother.<ref name=":11" /> During her funeral service, Minister for Sports Arnaldo Sánchez presented the national flag.<ref name=":12" /> On 2 April 2025, Larreal was posthumously honoured with the Order of Julio César León, Venezuela's premier recognition for cycling.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=Julio César León apagó las 100 velas {{!}} Comité Olímpico Venezolano|url=https://cov.com.ve/2025/02/02/julio-cesar-leon-apago-las-100-velas/|access-date=2026-03-21|language=es}}</ref>
==Major results== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} ;1990 : 1990 Central American and Caribbean Games :: 2nd 15px Sprint<ref name=":7" /> ;1992 : 1992 Summer Olympics :: Individual Sprint, 2nd Repechage Heat 2<ref name=Olympedia>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/13161|title=Daniela Larreal|website=Olympedia|access-date=19 August 2024|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820004914/https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/13161|url-status=live}}</ref> : 1992 Pan American Track Championships :: 1st 15px Sprint<ref name=":8"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_WkYAQAAIAAJ|title=Gran enciclopedia de Venezuela|date=1998|publisher=Globe|isbn=978-980-6427-00-6|language=es}}</ref> ;1993 : 1993 Central American and Caribbean Games<ref name=":8"/> :: 2nd 15px Sprint :: 2nd 15px Points race ;1996 : 1996 Summer Olympics :: Individual Sprint, 2nd Repechage Heat 2<ref name=Olympedia/> :: 15th Points Race<ref name=Olympedia/> : 1996 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics<ref name=":8"/> :: 1st 15px Points race, final individual ranking :: 2nd 15px Sprint, Round 1, Cali :: 3rd 15px 500m time trial, Round 1, Cali :: 3rd 15px Points race, Round 1, Cali :: 3rd 15px 500m time trial, Round 2, Havana ;1997 : 1997 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics :: 2nd 15px 500m time trial, Round 4, Quartu Sant'Elena :: 3rd 15px 500m time trial, Round 1, Cali<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uci.ch/track/twc1_500f.html |title=Coupe du Monde UCI Piste- 1997 UCI Track World Cup #1 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=1997 |website=Union Cycliste Internationale|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19970612205631/http://www.uci.ch/track/twc1_500f.html |archivedate=12 June 1997 |url-status=dead |accessdate=21 November 2013}}</ref> :: 3rd 15px Points race, Round 3, Fiorenzuola : 1997 Pan American Track Championships<ref name=":8"/> :: 1st 15px Sprint :: 2nd 15px 500m ;1998 : 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games :: 1st 15px Sprint<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-744583|title=Maricuchas|newspaper=El Tiempo|language=Spanish|date=15 August 1998|accessdate=16 April 2016|archive-date=20 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820231414/https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-744583|url-status=live}}</ref> :: 2nd 15px 500m time trial :: 3rd 15px Points race ;1999 : 3rd 15px Venezuelan National Road Race Championships, Road Race<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oldsite.uci.ch/data/road_nats_fem_99.PDF |title=1999 National Championships Women's results |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Union Cycliste Internationale |accessdate=20 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120816063934/http://oldsite.uci.ch/data/road_nats_fem_99.PDF |archive-date=16 August 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ;2000 : 2000 Summer Olympics :: 8th Individual Sprint<ref name=Olympedia/> :: 10th Track Time Trial<ref name=Olympedia/> ;2001 : 3rd 15px Venezuelan National Road Race Championships, Road Race ;2002 : 2002 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics :: 3rd 15px Keirin, Round 4, Cali<ref>{{cite web |url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/track/2002/worldcup02/?id=trackWCrnd4/cali021 |title=Track World Cup round 4 – CDM |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=cyclingnews.com |accessdate=20 November 2013 |archive-date=21 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021120119/http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/track/2002/worldcup02/?id=trackWCrnd4/cali021 |url-status=live }}</ref> : 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.myplainview.com/article_de2f6ae8-c8cd-5f2c-ab86-37ae471d9d78.html?mode=jqm|title=Centroamericanos: Colombia acaparó oro en ciclismo|publisher=My Plain View|language=Spanish|date=2 December 2002|accessdate=12 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2002/11/26/17an2dep.php?origen=index.html|title=Nancy Contreras ganó con marca mundial, pero no será homologada|publisher=La Jornada|language=Spanish|date=26 November 2002|accessdate=12 April 2016|archive-date=2 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102092752/http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2002/11/26/17an2dep.php?origen=index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Afectada>{{cite news|url=http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2002/11/29/26an1dep.php?origen=deportes.html|title=Afectada por el miedo, la ciclista Nancy Contreras perdió la medalla de oro|newspaper=La Jornada|language=Spanish|date=28 November 2002|accessdate=12 April 2016|archive-date=2 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102095435/http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2002/11/29/26an1dep.php?origen=deportes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> :: 1st 15px Sprint :: 1st 15px Keirin<ref>{{cite news|url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/track/?id=2002/nov02/centralamerica02/centralamerica026|title=Central America & Caribbean Games – Day 6 – December 1: Men's & Women's Keirin, Men's Madison|publisher=Cycling News|location=San Salvador, El Salvador|date=1 December 2002|accessdate=12 April 2016|archive-date=2 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302225722/http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/track/?id=2002/nov02/centralamerica02/centralamerica026|url-status=live}}</ref> :: 1st 15px Scratch :: 2nd 15px 500m Time Trial : 2nd 15px Venezuelan National Road Race Championships, Road Race ;2003 : 2003 Pan American Games :: 2nd 15px Sprint<ref>{{cite web |url=https://usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=214 |title=Lindenmuth and Witty On Pan Am Podium Again |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=15 August 2003 |website=USA Cycling |accessdate=21 November 2013 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210122/https://usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=214 |url-status=dead }}</ref> :: 2nd 15px Keirin<ref>{{cite web |url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/track.php?id=road/2003/aug03/panamericachamps03/panamericachamps034 |title=USA lands gold and two silvers on second track day |last1=Walker |first1=Kelly |date=13 August 2003 |website=cyclingnews.com |accessdate=21 November 2013 |archive-date=2 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230410/http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/track.php?id=road/2003/aug03/panamericachamps03/panamericachamps034 |url-status=live }}</ref> : 2003 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics :: 1st 15px Keirin, Round 3, Cape Town<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ftp.cyclingnews.com/track/2003/worldcup03/?id=capetown03/capetown032 |title=Track World Cup round 3 – CDM: Cape Town, South Africa, April 11–13, 2003 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=12 April 2003 |website=cyclingnews.com |accessdate=25 November 2013 |archive-date=2 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222422/http://ftp.cyclingnews.com/track/2003/worldcup03/?id=capetown03/capetown032 |url-status=live }}</ref> :: 1st 15px Sprint, final individual ranking<ref name=wc2003>{{cite web |url=http://oldsite.uci.ch/data_2003/track/worldcup/rank.htm |title=Track World Cup 2003: Rankings |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=Union Cycliste Internationale |accessdate=23 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817193658/http://oldsite.uci.ch/data_2003/track/worldcup/rank.htm |archive-date=17 August 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> :: 3rd 15px Keirin, final individual ranking<ref name=wc2003 /> ;2004 : 2004 Summer Olympics :: 8th Individual Sprint<ref name=Olympedia/> : 2004 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics :: 3rd 15px Keirin, Round 3, Manchester ;2005 : 2005 Pan American Cycling Championships :: 1st 15px Keirin ;2007 : 2006–07 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics :: 1st 15px Keirin, Round 3, Los Angeles<ref name=":8"/> ;2010 : 2010 Pan American Cycling Championships :: 2nd 15px Keirin<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/panamerican-track-championships-cc/day-5/results/|title=Uran, Hammer dominate Omniums; Smith, Guerra, Cliff-Ryan seal individual gold on final day|date=16 May 2010|publisher=Cycling News|accessdate=26 November 2016|archive-date=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917105618/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/panamerican-track-championships-cc/day-5/results/|url-status=live}}</ref> :: 3rd 15px Sprint<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/panamerican-track-championships-cc/day-3/results/|title=Colombia win men's team pursuit; Sellier, Gonzalez and Guerra day three winners|publisher=Cycling News|accessdate=26 November 2016|archive-date=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917092530/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/panamerican-track-championships-cc/day-3/results/|url-status=live}}</ref> : 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games<ref name="dlto">{{cite news|url=http://www.liderendeportes.com/Noticias/MasDeportes/Daniela-Larreal-trajo-otra-de-oro.aspx|title=Daniela Larreal trajo otra de oro|newspaper=Liderendeportes.com|language=Spanish|date=24 July 2010|accessdate=20 December 2011|archive-date=22 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240822060613/http://www.liderendeportes.com/.well-known/sgcaptcha/?r=%2FNoticias%2FMasDeportes%2FDaniela-Larreal-trajo-otra-de-oro.aspx&y=ipr:207.241.225.91:1724306773.640|url-status=live}}</ref> :: 1st 15px Sprint :: 1st 15px 500m time trial :: 1st 15px Team sprint (with Angie González) :: 1st 15px Keirin ;2011 : 2011 Pan American Games :: 1st 15px Keirin<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/pan-american-games-track-cycling-2011/day-4/results |title=Puerta, Larreal earn keirin titles |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=21 October 2011 |website=cyclingnews.com |accessdate=21 November 2013}}</ref> :: 1st 15px Team sprint (with Mariaesthela Vilera)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usacycling.org/two-medals-for-us-track-cyclists-at-pan-american-games.htm |title=Two medals for U.S. track cyclists at Pan American Games |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=20 October 2011 |website=USA Cycling |accessdate=21 November 2013 |archive-date=17 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017134811/http://www.usacycling.org/two-medals-for-us-track-cyclists-at-pan-american-games.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> :: 2nd 15px Sprint<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/pan-american-games-track-cycling-2011/day-2/results |title=Canada wins women's team pursuit, sets Pan Am record |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=19 October 2011 |website=cyclingnews.com |accessdate=21 November 2013 |archive-date=5 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205004217/http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/pan-american-games-track-cycling-2011/day-2/results |url-status=live }}</ref> : 2011 Pan American Cycling Championships :: 2nd 15px Team sprint (with Mariaesthela Vilera)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://deportesco.terra.com.co/rumbo-a-2012/guadalajara-2011/noticias/0,,OI5108086-EI17445,00-Colombia+consolida+su+liderazgo+en+el+Panamericano+de+ciclismo.html|title=Colombia consolida su liderazgo en el Panamericano de ciclismo|publisher=Terra|language=Spanish|date=3 May 2011|accessdate=22 November 2016|archive-date=24 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124090949/http://deportesco.terra.com.co/rumbo-a-2012/guadalajara-2011/noticias/0,,OI5108086-EI17445,00-Colombia+consolida+su+liderazgo+en+el+Panamericano+de+ciclismo.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> :: 3rd 15px Sprint<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/panamerican-track-championships-cc-1/day-4/results/|title=Canelon tops Watkins in controversial sprint final; Cuba claims women's team pursuit after rain delay|date=4 May 2011 |publisher=Cycling News|accessdate=22 November 2016}}</ref> ;2012 : 2012 Summer Olympics :: 7th Team Sprint (with Mariaesthela Vilera)<ref name=Olympedia/> :: 8th Keirin<ref name=Olympedia/> :: 16th Individual Sprint<ref name=Olympedia/> : 2011–12 UCI Track Cycling World Cup :: 3rd 15px Keirin, Round 3, Beijing : 2012 Pan American Cycling Championships :: 1st 15px Team Sprint (with Mariaesthela Vilera) ;2014 :2014 South American Games ::1st 15px Sprint ::1st 15px Team Sprint (with Mariaesthela Vilera) ::2nd 15px Keirin :2014 Pan American Track Championships ::2nd 15px Team Sprint (with Mariaesthela Vilera) ::3rd 15px Keirin ::3rd 15px Sprint :2014 Central American and Caribbean Games ::2nd 15px Keirin ::3rd 15px Team Sprint (with Marynes Prada) {{div col end}}
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Cycling Archives}} * {{CycleBase|4785}} * {{Olympedia}} * {{Olympics.com|daniela-grelui-larreal}} {{Footer Pan American Champions Women's Keirin|state=collapsed}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Larreal, Daniela}} Category:1973 births Category:2024 deaths Category:Venezuelan female cyclists Category:Venezuelan track cyclists Category:Olympic cyclists for Venezuela Category:Cyclists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Cyclists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Category:Pan American Games gold medalists in cycling Category:Pan American Games silver medalists in cycling Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for Venezuela Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for Venezuela Category:Pan American Games cyclists for Venezuela Category:Cyclists at the 2003 Pan American Games Category:Cyclists at the 2011 Pan American Games Category:Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games Category:Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Category:Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in cycling Category:Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Venezuela Category:Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Venezuela Category:Central American and Caribbean Games bronze medalists for Venezuela Category:Competitors at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games Category:Competitors at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games Category:Competitors at the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games Category:Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Category:South American Games medalists in cycling Category:South American Games gold medalists for Venezuela Category:South American Games silver medalists for Venezuela Category:Competitors at the 2014 South American Games Category:Sportspeople from Maracaibo Category:Cyclists from Caracas Category:Venezuelan people of indigenous peoples descent Category:20th-century Venezuelan sportswomen Category:21st-century Venezuelan sportswomen Category:Deaths from intracranial aneurysm Category:Accidental deaths in Nevada Category:Restaurant staff Category:Uber people Category:Venezuelan dissidents Category:Venezuelan exiles Category:Venezuelan expatriate sportspeople in the United States