Elena Stern

Elena Stern, born on November 8, 1994, in Wetzikon, Switzerland, began her curling career on the international stage at a young age. Her foundational years in the sport quickly established her as a formidable talent, leading to significant early achievements. Stern first represented Switzerland at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, where her team, comprising Michael Brunner, Romano Meier, and Lisa Gisler, secured a gold medal in the mixed team event. This early success set the trajectory for her career, highlighting her capabilities in competitive curling. Following this, she participated in her first World Junior Curling Championship in 2014 as an alternate, gaining valuable experience at a high level of competition.

Stern’s career progressed steadily, marked by multiple appearances at the World Junior Curling Championships. In 2015, playing as lead for Lisa Gisler’s team, she earned a bronze medal at the World Junior Curling Championships in Tallinn. The same year, she was an alternate for Alina Pätz at the European Curling Championship, observing top-tier professional play. She returned to the World Juniors in 2016, this time as skip, guiding her team to a 4–5 record. Her leadership and strategic skills were further honed through consecutive appearances at the World Mixed Curling Championship in 2016 and 2017, where her team reached the quarter-finals and narrowly missed the playoffs, respectively. Additionally, she skipped the Swiss team to a fourth-place finish at the 2017 Winter Universiade.

A pivotal period in Stern’s career came during the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons. With her team, including Briar Hürlimann, Lisa Gisler, and Céline Koller, she achieved notable success on the Grand Slam of Curling circuit, winning the 2018 Tour Challenge Tier 2 and the 2018 Women’s Masters Basel. The 2019–20 season saw her team win the 2019 Canad Inns Women’s Classic, the International Bernese Ladies Cup, and the Schweizer Cup, culminating in a significant victory at the 2020 Swiss Women’s Curling Championship. This win, an upset against defending world champions Silvana Tirinzoni, would have led to her team representing Switzerland at the 2020 World Women’s Curling Championship, which was unfortunately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stern officially retired from competitive curling in 2021 after not qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympics.