Carolina Kostner

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**Carolina Kostner**

Kostner in 2007.
Personal Info
Country:	Italy
Date of birth:	February 8, 1987 (1987-02-08) (age 21)
Residence:	Ortisei, Italy
Height:	169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Coach:	Michael Huth
Former Coach:	Friedrich Juricek
Choreographer:	Lori Nichol
Skating Club:	Fiamme Azzurre
ISU Personal Best Scores
Short + Free Total:	184.68	2008 Worlds
Short Program:	67.15	2007 Worlds
Free Skate:	120.40	2008 Worlds

Most Recent Results :
Event	Points	Finish	Year
World Championships	184.68	2nd	2008
Grand Prix Final	178.93	3rd	2007

Carolina Kostner (born February 8, 1987) is an Italian figure skater. She is the 2007 & 2008 European champion and the 2008 World silver medalist. As of May 2008, Kostner is ranked third in the world.^[1].

1 Personal life
2 Career
3 Skating technique
4 Programs
5 Competitive highlights
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Personal life

Carolina Kostner was born in Bolzano, Italy. Her mother, Patrizia, was a nationally ranked figure skater in the 1970s. Her father, Erwin, played ice hockey for the Italian national team at the World Championships and Olympic Games. She has two brothers^[2]. Kostner is the cousin and godchild of Isolde Kostner, a silver medalist in alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics.^[3]

Kostner is a native Ladin speaker and it is the language she uses at home. She also speaks fluent German, Italian, English and some French.^{[citation needed]} In the fall of 2007, she enrolled at the University of Torino (Turin). She is a student of DAMS (Drama, Art and Music Studies). She is still training with Huth in Germany and splits her time between Obertsdorf and Turin.

[edit] Career

When her home rink closed in 2001, Kostner chose to work with Michael Huth in Oberstdorf, Germany, about a four hour drive from her home in Bolzano. She continues to work with Michael Huth as her primary trainer and uses a mix of choreographers including her longtime choreographer, Megan Smith, and stars such as Kurt Browning and Lori Nichol.

Kostner made her senior European debut in the 2002-2003 season, finishing 4th at the European championships. Later that year, she became the first Italian skater to medal at Junior Worlds, winning a bronze. In 2004, she finished 5th at Europeans and at Worlds, and in 2005 finished 7th at Europeans before beating Michelle Kwan for a bronze medal at the World Championships in Moscow^[4].

Kostner was chosen to be flag bearer for the host Italian team during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics.^[5] At the Olympics, she placed 9th. The next month, at the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships, she placed 12th.

Kostner was forced to miss the 2006-2007 Grand Prix season due to injury. She won the Italian national title and went on to win her first European title at the 2007 European Figure Skating Championships.^[6] She improved on her Worlds results by placing 6th at the 2007 Worlds.^[7]

During the 2007-2008 season, Kostner medaled at both her Grand Prix events and went to the Grand Prix Final for the first time. At that event, she won the bronze medal. She won her second European title at the 2008 European Figure Skating Championships after winning the short program and placing second in the free skate.^[8] At the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships, Kostner won the short program and placed third in the free skate, winning the silver medal overall.^[9]

[edit] Skating technique

Kostner is famous for her fast speed over the ice. She lands triple-triple combinations, most consistently the triple flip-triple toe, in competition. She spins and jumps in the clockwise direction.

[edit] Programs

Season	Short Program	Free Skating	Exhibition
2007-2008	"Riders on the Storm" by The Doors	"Dumky Trio" by Antonin Dvorak	"Solamente Per Carolina" by Robert Werner "You Are A Woman" by Bonnie Tyler
2006-2007	"Canon in D" by Johann Pachelbel	"Memoirs of a Geisha" by John Williams	"Solamente per Carolina by Robert Werner
2005-2006	"Gabriel's Oboe" from The Mission soundtrack by Ennio Morricone	"Winter" from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi	"Ave Maria" by Charles Gounud and Filippa Giordano
2004-2005	Selection from the Country soundtrack by George Winston	"Piano Concerto No 1 and 3" by Sergei Prokofiev	"Fly" by Celine Dion
2003-2004	"Song from a Secret Garden" by Rolf Lovland	A Poet's Quest for a Distant Paradise Night Flight Reflection Violin Fantasy on Puccini's Turandot by Vanessa Mae	"Je t'aime encore" by Celine Dion
2002-2003	Variations on the Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel arranged by George Winston	Papa, Can You Hear Me? Schindler's List Theme Far and Away by Itzhak Perlman	But I Do Love You The Right Kind of Wrong by Leann Rimes

[edit] Competitive highlights

Event/Season	2000-2001	2001-2002	2002-2003	2003-2004	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007	2007-2008
Winter Olympics						9th
World Championships			10th	5th	3rd	12th	6th	2nd
European Championships			4th	5th	7th	3rd	1st	1st
World Junior Championships	11th	10th	3rd
Italian Championships	1st J		1st	2nd	1st	1st	1st	WD
Grand Prix Final								3rd
NHK Trophy						6th		1st
Cup of China								3rd
Skate Canada					5th	7th
Trophee Eric Bompard					2nd
Cup of Russia					7th
Nebelhorn Trophy			1st					1st
Finlandia Trophy				4th				3rd
Junior Grand Prix Final			2nd
Junior Grand Prix, China			4th
Dragon Trophy			1st
Gardena Spring Trophy		4th
Junior Grand Prix, Norway	9th
Junior Grand Prix, Germany	7th
Junior Grand Prix, France			1st