Stefania Berton (born 19 July 1990) is an Italian competitive pair skater. With partner Ondřej Hotárek, she is the 2013 European bronze medalist, the 2013 Skate Canada International champion, and a three-time Italian national champion. Berton/Hotárek are the first Italian pair skaters to win European and Grand Prix medals.
Stefania Berton was born 19 July 1990 in Asiago, Italy.[1] In January 2012, she became a member of the sports group of the Italian police.[2][3] She became engaged to American pair skater Rockne Brubaker on 2 February 2013.[4] The couple married on June 5, 2015 in Wisconsin.[5]
Career
As a singles skater, Berton won the silver medal at the 2007 Italian Nationals and placed 6th at the 2006 Junior Grand Prix Final. As an ice dancer, she competed on the novice level with Marco Fabbri.[6]
Berton teamed up with Ondřej Hotárek to compete in pair skating in early 2009.[7] They won the silver medal at 2010 Italian Nationals and were selected to compete at the World Championships. They placed 11th in their debut at the event.
During the 2010–11 season, Berton/Hotárek won silver at the Nebelhorn Trophy and also debuted on the Grand Prix circuit, finishing sixth at Cup of Russia. They won their first Italian national title and were sent to the 2011 European Championships. They placed fourth in the short program and fifth in the free program, setting personal bests in both, and finished fifth overall with their best combined total to date, 164.83 points.
Berton/Hotárek began the 2011–12 season at the 2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial, where they won the silver medal. In the Grand Prix season, they placed 4th at 2011 NHK Trophy and then won bronze at 2011 Rostelecom Cup, making them the first Italian pair to medal on the Grand Prix circuit.[8] At the 2012 European Championships, they placed 4th, historically the highest Italian result in pairs.[9]
For the 2014-15 season, Berton/Hotarek were assigned to 2014 Skate America and the 2014 Rostelecom Cup.[13] On 2 July 2014, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that their partnership had ended.[14][15] In August 2014, Berton said she had not wanted to split from Hotarek and that she was searching for a partner to continue her competitive career.[16][17]
