The extraordinary Olympic story of Sara Kaneppele

Oh yes: Thomas Pichler, former captain of HC Pustertal and SV Kaltern, comes from Tramin, has played for Italy in several World Championships, and in February 2009 even participated in the qualification for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. For his compatriot Sara Kaneppele, however, the Olympic dream has come true, and it continues now in the quarterfinals.

The 22-year-old faces a special match today to conclude the preliminary round. After all, one of Kaneppele's best friends, Celina Haider, is on Team Germany. The two met in Ingolstadt. Kaneppele, who hails from the Unterland region, spent two years in Upper Bavaria, and her connection with the 25-year-old center forward hasn't been lost since her return to South Tyrol in the spring of 2024. "I'm in regular contact with Celina. Our parents are also close friends and will be cheering us on from the stands today, along with my sister, my boyfriend Samuel, and his parents," Kaneppele says.

Haider isn't the only player the South Tyrolean native played with in Ingolstadt. Goalkeeper Lisa Hemmerle and forward Jule Schiefer were also teammates back then – today they're opponents. Kaneppele still looks back fondly on her two years in Ingolstadt: after all, she made great progress on the ice there and also became more independent and mature as a person. She could have stayed longer, but with a heavy heart, she decided to return to Tramin, where she helped out as a secretary in her parents' business.

Family as a great support The electrical company is run by her father, Dietmar Kaneppele. He's no stranger to ice hockey circles. After all, he currently sits on the board of the HC Unterland Cavaliers and previously financially supported the youth section of the Neumarkt Auer junior teams. Therefore, it was no surprise that one of his two daughters caught the ice hockey bug. Sara Kaneppele initially dedicated herself to volleyball. But because she found this sport "too boring," she switched to ice hockey at the age of eight. In Neumarkt, she was the only girl among numerous boys. "But I quickly found my way around. Because I've always been tall and strong, I earned the necessary respect and had no trouble defending myself. Some of the boys were smaller than me and were probably afraid that I would take their place," the forward recalls with a smile.

Her parents, Heidrun and her father, made many sacrifices and were present at almost every game. After winning the Italian U17 championship with Auer and getting a taste of Serie A and the European Women's Hockey League (EWHL) with EVB Eagles Südtirol, she took the plunge and moved to Switzerland. However, Kaneppele wasn't happy at EHC Kreuzlingen-Konstanz and returned home after three months, where she went on to win two Italian championships with the Eagles. Following her stint in Germany, she spent the last two years playing for the Eagles in Bolzano, earning a place on the host nation's Olympic team.

Kaneppele enjoyed the Olympic atmosphere over the past few days and met numerous superstars of her sport in the Olympic Village, where she shares a room with Anna Caumo from Bruneck. The two games against France and Germany in the enormous Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena will also "remain unforgettable" for her. "After all, I've never played in such a huge arena before, in front of so many spectators." Her fellow countryman Thomas Pichler isn't the only one who can dream of such experiences. The two prominent ice hockey players from Tramin will certainly be able to raise a glass of Gewürztraminer to celebrate them soon.

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The extraordinary Olympic story of Sara Kaneppele

If the year 2026 were an odd number, the Egetmann parade would take place in Tramin in a week's time. The village on the South Tyrolean Wine Road is also known as the home of Gewürztraminer. But Tramin and ice hockey?

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