Carolina Kostner (born 8 February 1987) is an Italian figure skating coach and former competitive skater. She is the 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2012 World champion, a five-time European champion (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013), and the 2011 Grand Prix Final champion. She is also a medalist at five other World Championships (2005, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014), six other European Championships (2006, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018), and three other Grand Prix Finals (2007, 2008, 2010), the 2003 World Junior bronze medalist, and a nine-time Italian national champion. Kostner has won 11 medals at the European championships, most recently in 2018, and is the most decorated singles skater in the history of that competition.
Personal life
Carolina Kostner was born in the South Tyrolean Bolzano Kostner is the cousin and goddaughter of Isolde Kostner, a silver medalist in alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
2005–2006 season
Kostner won her first European medal in 2006, and was chosen to be flag bearer for the host Italian team during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics. She set a new personal best to finish third in the short program at the 2007 Worlds but faltered in the long program and finished 6th overall.
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 Europeans after winning the short program and placing second in the free skate. At the 2008 Worlds, Kostner won the short program and placed third in the free skate, winning the silver medal overall.
2008–2009 season
thumb|right|180px|Kostner performs at the [[2009 World Figure Skating Championships.]]
Kostner finished off the podium at her first Grand Prix event, 2008 Skate Canada, lost her European title to Laura Lepistö, and finished 12th at the 2009 World Championships after a long program in which she failed to land a single clean triple. As a result, Italy qualified only one ladies spot for the 2010 Olympics.
In January 2015, Kostner received a 16-month ban from competition after she admitted lying about the location of her then boyfriend Alex Schwazer to help him avoid a drug test. Kostner was therefore eligible to compete from 1 January 2016. She stated, "I don't feel any interest in other medals or results, really. But I feel a deep interest in learning what I've not learned yet. That's why I asked Mr. Mishin if I could train with him, at times."
Kostner skated a new personal best score of 80.27 in the short program at the 2018 World Championships, taking first place. In the free skate, however, she made several errors, popping two jumps and falling on an attempted triple Salchow. As a result, she finished fifth in the free skate and fourth overall.
2018–2019 season
In September, Kostner withdrew from the Japan Open. Later, she announced that she would not be competing at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships.
Post-competitive career
thumb|left|200px|Kostner (far left) with [[Yuma Kagiyama at the 2024 World Championships]]
Following Kostner's competitive figure skating career, she began working alongside her longtime choreographer, Lori Nichol, to help choreograph competitive figure skating programs. Skaters she has worked alongside include Nicole Schott, include Alto Adige/Südtirol, Asics, Grissin Bon, Lancia, Herbalife (from 2010 to 2011 season), Torino Olympic park, and Roberto Cavalli (until 2009–10 season). Kostner's current and former official suppliers include Maybelline, L'Oréal Professionnel, Fratelli Rossetti, Damiani, Swarovski, Iceberg, and T-SHIRT T-SHOPS.
Kostner designed her own costumes from 2010 to 2014. from November 2008 and in Opera on Ice, held in October 2011 at the Arena of Verona, which was broadcast simultaneously in 40 countries worldwide.