CAROLINA KOSTNER
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Carolina Kostner (born February 8, 1987 in Bolzano, Italy), is an Italian figure skater. She is the 2007 & 2008 European champion and the 2008 World Silver Medalist.

Carolina Kostner is the daughter of Patrizia, who was a nationally ranked figure skater in the 1970s, and Erwin, who played ice hockey for the Italian national team at the World Championships and Olympic Games. She has two brothers. Kostner is the cousin and godchild of Isolde Kostner, a silver medalist in alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics. She has dated fellow figure skater and 2006 Olympic silver medalist, Stéphane Lambiel, in the past.

Kostner speaks Ladin at home, and also speaks fluent German, Italian, English and some French. She completed her secondary education in Oberstdorf in June 2007 and announced plans to enroll at the University of Torino (Turin) in the fall of 2007, continuing to train with Huth in Germany and splitting her time between Obertsdorf and Turin.

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 narrowly edging Michelle Kwan for a bronze medal at the World Championships in Moscow. Kostner was chosen to be flag bearer for the host Italian team during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics. She had a disappointing Olympics, finishing in 9th place, and later finished in 12th place at 2006 Worlds. The next two seasons brought better results for Kostner: she won the Euopean title in 2007 and 2008, won the bronze at the 2007-8 Grand Prix Final, and was the silver medalist at the 2008 World Championships, behind Japanese skater Mao Asada. Kostner is ranked third in the world as of March 2008.

Kostner is renowned for her commanding speed over the ice and her ability to land triple-triple combinations, most consistently the triple flip-triple toe. In practices she has landed three jump triple-triple-triple combinations. When her home rink closed in 2001, Carolina set out on an international search for a new coach and training center and 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.



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