Biography
Carolina Costner is known to all fans of figure skating. Speaking in a single form, the Italian figure skater achieved great heights: became the world champion, 5-fold European champion and the bronze medalist of the Olympic Games. And at home in the homeland in Italy, she climbed 9 times to the highest step of the country's championship pedestal.Childhood and youth
Carolina Costner was born on February 8, 1987 in the city of Bolzano in Italy. The future figure skaters grew in a sports family: her mother Patricia spoke at the rink in ice dancing, Father Erwin - a participant in the Olympiad and World Championships as a player of the Italy national hockey team. Among the famous relatives there is a skiing of Isolde Costner - an athlete twice became the world champion and the Olympic medals won three times.
Of course, Carolina "I got on skates earlier than learned to walk" - at 4 years old she was already trying to make the first pyruets on the ice. At first, the girl trained at home in his homeland, and in 2001 he left for Germany to study at the famous coach of Michael Huta.
Figure skating
Began his sports career Carolina Costner in the 2000-2001 season and immediately successfully - became the winner of the Italian championship among juniors. In 15 years, the figure skater began to take part in adult tournaments. Then she confirmed the title of Italy's championship, and at the World Championships (the truth among young athletes) became a bronze medalist.
Next, Carolina is diligently trained and begins to "gain momentum". From 2003 to 2005, she won two gold championships of Italy, two bronze: one at the World Championships, and the second - on European, and the Silver stage of the Grand Prix.
Season 2006-2007 for the crown becomes triumphal: already familiar gold in the Italian tournament and the first gold championship. In 2006, the XX Winter Olympic Games were held in Italian Turin. Carolina entrusted the honorary mission - to carry the country's flag. It was also the first in the career of the figure skater of the Olympiad, but, unfortunately, the girl took only the 9th place at competitions.
Ahead of the figure skater was waiting for many more victories and defeats. In the period from 2007 to 2009, 7 gold medals are added in its piggy bank, 3 silver and 4 bronze. The Costner again becomes champion in Europe and Italy and the winner of the two steps of the Grand Prix. But these years and annoying lesions were: winning silver in 2007 at the World Championships, next year, the figure skater allows mistakes during a speech and becomes only twelfth, and another year - the sixth. In the Olympic Games in Vancouver 2010, the Costner takes an unusual 16 string in the ranking.
After unsuccessful performances at the Olympics and two consecutive World Championships Carolina decides to change the coach. Then the girl moves to California (USA) to ride under the leadership of Frank Carroll (Mentor of the Olympic and world champions Michel Kwan and Evan Laysachek) and the famous figure skater Christie Passion.
Changes the situation and the team, in the 2010-2011 season Carolina Costner rises to the third stage of the World Championship, the second - the European Championship and the first - the Italian tournament. Also an athlete earns three medals of the Grand Prix Stages: Gold, Silver and Bronze.
A year later, the Costner returns to the former coach to Germany. They set new programs, hide jumping and rotation, the goal is only prizes in competitions. In Arsenal, Carolina appears a supererium cascade: Triple flip - Triple Tulup - Double Rittberger.
Moreover, in contrast to the rivals, the Costner performs all the rotations clockwise. Also, feminine and elegant skating becomes a distinctive feature. The athlete is not interesting to mechanically perform the memorized elements, in each program it brings his temperament, "tells the history of ice."
In the seasons from 2011 to 2013, the Costner manages to fulfill the goals - in all tournaments where the figure skater took part, it did not fall below the second place. Carolina becomes a world champion and once again conquers the title of European champion. 3 "Silver" and 6 gold awards are added to previous medals of athletes - it was a real triumph.
Ahead was the main battle - the Olympic Games. In 2014, they were held in Russia, in the city of Sochi. After a failure speech in Vancouver, the Costner lost hope for a prize place, but confident victories of 2012 and 2013 again presented her faith in her strength.
At the Olympic Games, the Costner without blots, inspired by the short and arbitrary program and with the total amount of points 216.73 ranks third in the pedestal. The dream was accomplished - the Olympic medal was obtained.
Personal life
Athletes have such a high level sometimes there is no time for themselves and on building personal relationships, as all the time they pay training, fees and competitions. Nevertheless, already being an elected figure skater, Carolina became acquainted with Alex Schwarzer - athlete and the Olympic champion in sports walking.
A couple of many years tied a close relationship. If the Italian press published on the main reversal of their joint pictures, the circulation bought at the first hours. As Carolina itself admits, she loved Alex and trusted him.
The crutter recalls such a case: the young man was visiting her, the representatives of the Anti-Doping Committee called her and said that she was looking for Schwarzers. Alex asked her to surround and say that he was at home. The figure skater did, without seeing nothing to be gone and giving it much importance. A few months later, Alex Schwarzer was accused of applying doping and, as it turned out, reasonably. The athlete did not deny anything, but he confessed to everyone:
"I was wrong. This is the end of my career ... Better do not ask why it happened. I just wanted to become even stronger at this Olympics and made a mistake. "All would be nothing, but "got" and the costeper - the figure skater disqualified for 16 months. For a 28-year-old athlete, some rivals on the ice have not yet noted the age of age, this is a period that threatens the loss of sports form and skills.
At that moment, as the figure skater is recognized, "the earth left under his feet": she lossed overnight and his beloved person, who could not forgive betrayal (Schwarzer said that the costeper was specially covered him), and the whole life is sport.
Carolina Costner now
As a real athlete and fighter, Carolina Volva and a strong spirit girl. During disqualification, she decided to pay events in their favor. In an interview, the Costner says that she finally was able to be alone with himself, to pay the time to the family and parents, to chat with friends. Over time, the figure skater even joined the taste of "free" life: instead of the morning workout she went to the movies, and then the shopping was satisfied with his friends.
Translating the Spirit, the Costner realized that her love for figure skating was more than a cute gathering in a cafe and a celebrating lifestyle. Then she fell into training to Russian coach Alexei Nikolaevich Mishina. He was a mentor of many famous athletes, among whom were Alexey Yagudin and (now) Evgeny Plushenko.
Not forgotten Carolina and his head coach Michael Huta, but to learn from Mishin was her long-standing dream. Now the figure skater is engaged in two mentors at once. Disqualification from it was removed before the time limit, and the crutter became in reinforced mode to prepare for new competitions.
In January 2018, the European Figure Skating Championship was held in Moscow. Carolina Costner took part in it. After the break athlete was not easy to perform a performance: there was an annoying drop in an arbitrary program and several blots. Nevertheless, the total amount of points in 204.25 allowed her to take the honorable third place. The first and second places of the postponement of honor were taken by Russians Alina Zagitov and Evgenia Medvedev.
The joy of fans of Carolina Costner, the athlete returned with success in figure skating.
Awards
- 2005, 2011, 2014 - Bronze World Championship
- 2006, 2014, 2017, 2018 - Bronze Championship of Europe
- 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 - Gold of the European Championship
- 2008, 2013 - Silver World Championship
- 2009, 2011 - Silver European Championship
- 2012 - World Cup Gold
- 2014 - Bronze at the Olympics in Sochi