She started skating at a very young age, at the age of four, and her first success came in 2001, when she was just 13, with her victory at her first international competition. She is part of the Fiamme Azzurre Sports Group, the sports section of the Italian Penitentiary Police.
Carolina Kostner, Italy’s flag bearer at Torino 2006
|
Her father, Erwin Kostner, is a former ice hockey player (defenceman) who, during his career, captained the Italian national team (212 appearances between 1976 and 1992) and coached several youth national teams; her mother, Maria Patrizia, is a former skater and coach.
Carolina has two brothers, Martin and Simon. She also has a famous relative: former Italian alpine skier Isolde Kostner is her father’s cousin, as well as her confirmation godmother.
Carolina Kostner developed her artistic and athletic talent in Ortisei (in the province of Bolzano), where she lives.
On the ice she seems to glide effortlessly, like a butterfly—because she was born with skates on her feet.
The pinnacle of her Olympic career came at Sochi 2014, where she won the bronze medal, the crowning achievement of years of sacrifice and dedication.
To reach these milestones, Carolina pursued an international training path, working in different countries with top-level coaches.
She trained in Los Angeles with Frank Carroll, a legendary figure in figure skating; in Russia with Aleksei Mishin; in Germany with Michael Huth; and she worked in Toronto with Canadian choreographer Lori Nichol, who helped her develop her distinctive artistic style. This international experience allowed her to refine the technique and expressiveness that have made her recognised worldwide.
She is part of the Fiamme Azzurre Sports Group, the sports section of the Italian Penitentiary Police. Her disciplines are Women’s Singles and the Team Event.
Off the ice, she nurtures a passion for art, music, and design—interests that shine through in the artistic interpretation of her programmes.
Carolina’s competitive career concluded at the 2018 World Championships, but her bond with figure skating continues in a new role. Today she serves as Technical Director of the Fiamme Azzurre Sports Group and provides consultancy to various national teams, sharing the experience and knowledge gained over more than twenty years at the highest international level.
A way of giving back to the world of skating all that it has given her, and of supporting the growth of new generations of athletes.
