Bewitching and tattooed: Stephanie Brunner wants to make her mark at Milan Cortina 2026
The tattooed Stephanie Brunner wants to make her mark in what will probably be her last Winter Olympics, those of Milan Cortina 2026. The Austrian alpine skier originally from Schwaz, Tyrol, where she was born Feb. 20, 1994, is 166 centimeters tall and weighs 63 kilograms. She grew up competitively in WSV Hippach, a club with which she began her career on the slopes of an area deeply tied to the culture of skiing.
During her career, she has participated in three editions of the Olympic Games, achieving her most significant result at Beijing 2022 with a silver medal in the mixed team event, an achievement that certifies her role within a national team historically at the top of world skiing. She also made her mark at the World Championships: in Cortina d’Ampezzo 2021, she placed fifth in the team event, coming within a step of the podium. In the World Cup, she collected several important placings in the giant slalom, including a third place and two fourth places, confirming regularity and the ability to compete at a high level.
A concrete and reliable skier, Brunner is considered a valuable pawn for Austria, able to contribute in both individual and team races thanks to her experience and solid technique.
Also making her instantly recognizable is her off-track style. On her arm stands out a large tattoo depicting a lion with a crown, created in five hours of work, to which she later added a skull with skis with the intention of completely covering her arm. Other tattoos include a snake, mountains, the angelic number 444 and various motivational phrases.
Brunner likes to call herself different from most female athletes on the circuit and does nothing to go unnoticed. What characterizes her is not only her appearance, but also her temperament: she is known for always expressing what she thinks, even when this outspokenness may cause her some problems. A determined personality that, over time, has made her as recognizable as her performance in competition.
