Carolina Kostner: “The mistake is thinking that a success, or achieving a goal, changes us. In reality, I think the change happens before and then allows you to live that important moment with presence and clarity.”
Carolina Kostner reflects on her lifelong journey in figure skating.
original source: vanityfair.it dd. 24th December 2025 by Nicola Bambini
Carolina Kostner, Olympic bronze medalist and world champion, reflects on her lifelong journey in figure skating, the lessons learned, her evolving roles, and the importance of sharing her passion and experiences with others. Here’s a translation of her comments.
“Q: Let me ask you that question too: what has skating represented for you?
Carolina Kostner: It definitely pulled me out of dark places, kept me company in moments of loneliness. It made me angry, frustrated, pushing me to unleash a strength and courage I didn’t know I had. A true school, which made me who I am today, for better or worse.
Q: So, even after leaving competition, skating remains central in your life. Is that right?
Carolina Kostner: Before, as a competitor, it was easier to explain what I did. Now I wear more hats, and I really like it because it lets me figure out what I want to do when I grow up (she laughs). I still train and perform, mostly in Japan, but I also have shows in Italy: I explore skating beyond the rules of competition, with more freedom and connection with the audience. I’ve also learned to put into words what I do, meeting students and others. I also follow our national team athletes, my Fiamme Azzurre sports group, and supervise their training. Finally, I mentor a Japanese skater, the Beijing Olympic silver medalist, from an artistic and choreographic perspective.
Q: In a 2017 interview, you said that after your experiences, you no longer felt “just an athlete.” Looking at all you do now, can we confirm that?
Carolina Kostner: The mistake is thinking that a success, or achieving a goal, changes us. In reality, I think the change happens before and then allows you to live that important moment with presence and clarity. I think of my Olympic medal, which was hard-won, at my third Games and under a lot of pressure: I had never managed to express in competition what I did so well in training. When they finally put the medal around my neck, I thought it would solve all my problems, that it would be the change, but it wasn’t like that: I realized my growth had already happened before, otherwise I wouldn’t have made it to that podium.
Q: A linear view of change – realizing you’ve already changed when you reach your goal. Was it the same when you decided to stop competing? You never officially announced your retirement.
Carolina Kostner: Unfortunately, it coincided with the Covid period. I dreamed of having an event, a show where I could invite my loved ones, colleagues, everyone who contributed to my career, and bow to them, to thank them. When we came out of Covid, some time had passed and it seemed almost pointless, so there was a natural transition forward. But who knows, maybe in the future there will be a chance to realize that dream, separate from saying goodbye to competition (she laughs). That would be my thank you.
Q: And it would also be a closing of the circle. Or, since we’re on the topic, of the Olympic Rings.
Carolina Kostner: It would be wonderful if after Milan-Cortina there was the chance to do that. It would definitely close a twenty-year circle: Turin 2006, my first Olympics as an athlete, and Milan-Cortina 2026, my first Olympics in different roles, wearing many hats.
Q: Twenty years in which you’ve also faced difficult moments. What memories do you carry from those times?
Carolina Kostner: In the storm, there’s nothing anyone can say to make you feel better. The people around you are important support, but in those moments, there’s no magic word. Sometimes silent closeness is almost more helpful: now I can say that time helps, it heals. It sounds banal, but it’s true because life goes on: you have to look ahead, without forgetting the past but without living with your demons. For me, the turning point was accepting myself as I am: I’m someone who stumbles, maybe they call me ‘the fairy,’ ‘the butterfly,’ but those who know me tease me because they know I trip at home. In short, accepting not being just one thing.
Q: If I say “sharing,” a key word for Airbnb, what’s the first image that comes to mind? [Airbnb has announced 26 Experiences to be shared with some Olympic stars. Among them is Kostner, who on March 6 will welcome a group of enthusiasts at the PalaSesto in Sesto San Giovanni for technical exercises, conversation, and perhaps even a group choreography.]
Carolina Kostner: Our sport seems individual, but it’s not: on the ice, you represent a large team with whom you share tears, frustration, moments of joy and consolation. People who keep you grounded, even after great successes. When I think of sharing, I also remember that as a child I was very shy and in competition I expressed what I couldn’t say in class: there, on the ice, alone, was my safe space, where I could share who I really was.
Q: A specific moment from competition?
Carolina Kostner: During the Team Event at the Sochi Games, where there was huge support for the home athletes. I had the short program on my birthday, right after the Russian skater, and I was quite intimidated by the chaos. I came from two Olympics that hadn’t gone well, so I prepared with strategies to stay in my bubble: focusing on my breath, repeated gestures, phrases to say to myself. With that awareness, I listened to the roar for the home athlete, then silence fell: I skated to Ave Maria, which created a special atmosphere. The music started, I raised my arm, and in five seconds there was spontaneous applause, a show of appreciation for my career, even though I wasn’t their favorite and hadn’t done anything yet: it was as if I realized I had managed to share my true self. I’d be lying if I said it meant more than a medal, but it was a truly beautiful moment.
Q: If I say “choice,” what comes to mind?
Carolina Kostner: 2017, when I decided to move to Russia to train. Not because my previous coach wasn’t capable, but because I had reached a point where I needed motivation, an extra push. It was a hard choice, because in a way you throw away everything that already works and embark on a new project, with no guarantees, but I’m glad I did it. It broadened my horizons, gave me new stimuli, created the right challenges: sometimes you have to trust your instincts, put the phone down, and connect with real life.
Q: Let’s close with feedback – self-feedback: what are you not satisfied with in your journey?
Carolina Kostner: Now, with experience, I’d tell my younger self not to be too hard on herself. As an athlete, it’s normal to get criticism from outside, but my biggest critic was myself. So yes, I’d tell her to choose her battles wisely, to be stubborn when it matters, but also to let go of the rest, to be forgiving, because sometimes stubbornness leads to mistakes. And I’d advise young Carolina to communicate more with those around her: to express feelings and fears, not to hide her vulnerabilities. I tend to solve problems on my own, but often it’s thanks to others that you can make a switch, because you get advice from a perspective you hadn’t considered.
Q: What would you give the highest marks to?
Carolina Kostner: To the love I feel for this sport. I love skating, I love doing it alone, my daily life has always been with skates on, beyond competitions. Beyond judgments and results, even skating on a frozen lake – safely, of course – connects me with nature: the freedom, the cold air on my face. I feel truly lucky to have found something I’m so passionate about and that moves me so much. I’d definitely give that five stars.”
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