Elena Lengwiler
{{Short description|Swiss ice hockey player and kitefoiler}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Elena Lengwiler
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = Elena Bosshard
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|6|1}}
| birth_place = Wald
| known_for =
| education = Sports Management at University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons
| employer =
| occupation = Ice hockey player turned kitefoiler
| spouse = Jonas
| children =
| parents =
| relatives =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
| nationality = Swiss
}}
Elena Lengwiler born Elena Bosshard (born 1 June 1996) is a Swiss ice hockey player and a nominated kitefoiler for the 2024 Olympics. She was fourth in the 2024 European Championships and she represented Switzerland in Formula Kite at the 2024 Olympics.
Life
Lengwiler was born in Wald, Zürich in 1996.{{Cite web |title=Elena Lengwiler |url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/elena-lengwiler_1977707 |access-date=21 July 2024 |publisher=International Olympic Committee}} She became a professional ice hockey player in the Swiss National League playing for the Zurich team of ZSC Lions.{{Cite web|title=#15 Elena Lengwiler |url=https://www.zsclions.ch/teams/frauen/teams/gck-lions-swhl-b/spieler/ |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=zsclions.ch |language=de-CH}} She was a forward who shot with her left hand.{{Cite web |title=Elena Bosshard profile - Елена Бос шард Профиль |url=https://www.eurohockey.com/player/533282-elena-bosshard.html |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=eurohockey.com}} Her interest turned to kitefoiling and she joined the Gstaad Sailing Club.
In March 2024 she nearly gained a medal at the Formula Kite European Championships in the Mar Menor lagoon in Spain when she was fourth.{{Cite web |title=Sailing News - Formula Kite - A TV portrait of Elena Lengwiler SUI |url=https://sailing-news.com/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=sailing-news.com |language=en}} She was described as the most improved athlete and an Olympic medal contender.{{Cite web |last=Sailing |first=World |date=2024-04-22 |title=Lengwiler in control as do-or-die battle for Olympic places begins |url=https://www.livesaildie.com/lengwiler-in-control-as-do-or-die-battle-for-olympic-places-begins/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=Live Sail Die |language=en-NZ}} The top three finishers Lauriane Nolot, Jessie Kampman and Poema Newland were all French riders competing intensely. It was noted that Lengwiler was their only peer as she had transformed herself from an also-ran into a contender. An Olympic place for Switzerland was expected.{{Cite web |title=2024 Formula Kite European Championships at Mar Menor, Spain - Overall |url=https://www.sail-world.com/news/272901/2024-Formula-Kite-Europeans-at-Mar-Menor-overall |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=sail-world.com}}
At the Olympic Last Chance Regatta at the end of April 2024 off Hyères in France she was first.{{Cite web |title=Elena Lengwiler |url=https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/elena-lengwiler_1977707#bio |access-date=22 July 2024 |publisher=International Olympic Committee}} She qualified Switzerland to take part in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Fifteen of the twenty places were already allocated to fifteen different countries and their chosen riders. The last five places were awarded at the Last Chance Regatta to the Austrian surfer Alina Kornelli, Julia Damasiewicz of Poland, the Turkish Derin Atakan, Mafalda Pires de Lima of Portugal and Lengwiler.{{Cite journal |date=12 January 2024 |title=Formula Kite: the 40 qualified athletes for Paris 2024 |url=https://www.surfertoday.com/kiteboarding/the-formula-kite-road-to-the-paris-2024-olympic-games |journal=Surfer Today}} Lengwiler was chosen as the sailor to represent Switzerland at the 2024 Olympics joining fellow foiler Elia Colombo in the national sailing team of Sébastien Schneiter and Arno de Planta, Maud Jayet, and the 470 dinghy mixed pair of Yves Mermod and Maja Siegenthaler.{{Cite web |title=Swiss Sailing Team {{!}} Drei Ausrufezeichen von Elena Lengwiler |url=https://www.swiss-sailing-team.ch/drei-ausrufezeichen-von-elena-lengwiler/?lang=de |access-date=2024-07-22}}
At the Olympics there was less races than planned as the winds were not strong. On one day there was only one race and because Langwiler won that she went to the top of the rankings.{{Cite web |title=Paris 2024: Maeder and Lengwiler Move Top of Formula Kite Standings |url=https://www.sail-world.com/news/277969/Maeder-and-Lengwiler-Move-Top-in-Formula-Kite |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=sail-world.com}}